10,000 in 28 Days
by Hyuchiha Ruki
Summary: A mob boss, a feisty civilian and everyone else in between: All wedged into four weeks of mayhem. From car chases to awkward moments to getting chased by a psychotic woman, there's always something happening between Eagle Eye Neji & Tenten. AU. RATED T-M.
1. The Deal: The Mafia

**This is a NejiTen chapter story once again. Seriously, I shouldn't be making another one since I have my classes starting tomorrow. I'm going to miss fan fiction.**

**Kankuro: Yeah, I won't miss you.**

**Me: -sweat drop- Alright, I get your point. Anyway, this is Rated T-M for language and mild lemon in later chapters. I don't usually make chapter fics like this, but I guess I'll just try my hand at it now. If my job sucks, this story's going to be deleted.**

**Kankuro: Well, if that's the case, you can delete it now.**

**Me: Shut up already. So, technically, the whole plot is: Neji's the son of a mafia boss. Tenten owes the mafia money. And, simply, that brings them together. Secrets are uncovered and when Tenten still lacks money, she discovers that there's another way to pay up. Then, things just get going through the chapters. That's all there is to it.**

**Kankuro: Oh, gawd. Another crappy fic.**

**Me: This is just a prologue, okay? So, please don't hesitate in leaving a review. Please! Okay, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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_Click._

"Yo."

As the sleek-coated, slender man in a ponytail leaned on the tavern counter, eyeing the bartender scarily as he chewed on the end of the toothpick that stuck between his lips, the bartender dropped the cup he was wiping clean at sight of the teenager.

"K-Kosa Hyuga!" the bartender yelped, shaking in fear when he saw the gun's mouth held before him. Anytime, he could be shot.

The pearly-eyed boy smirked and chuckled, explaining, "Kosa Hyuga is my father. I'm Eagle Eye Hyuga, they said. But I prefer to stick to my real name." With that, he rested his elbows on the counter; the gun was still pointed at the bartender.

"You owe my mafia money." Five simple words out of Eagle Eye and the bartender is terrified out of his wits.

With sweat rolling down the sides of his head, the bartender honestly replied, opening the register, "I don't have the 500 dollars now! Give me more time, please!"

Hearing that, Eagle Eye rolled his eyes and mumbled back, "You asked for a month last time. Time's runnin' out, bub."

The gun was still pointed at the petrified bartender as he still quivered all over. Eagle Eye placed his finger on the trigger but hesitated in pulling it all together. Such a relief for the poor bartender.

Heaving a sigh, Eagle Eye looked away and still keeping the gun pointed at the bartender, he pulled the trigger.

Glass shattered and alcoholic drinks splashed onto the floor. Some smoke spewed faintly from the gun's mouth and with that, Eagle Eye turned his gaze again on the man and kept his stare blank when he found the bartender still standing.

After that, he replaced his gun into his belt and explained to the traumatized bartender, "Look, I'll still give you one more month. If by then you still don't have the money, I'm sending someone else to kill you."

Then and there, he pushed against the tavern door and left.

Outside, Eagle Eye met with his younger cousin, Blue Gun Shot.

"Bastard," Blue Gun Shot growled at him as she leaned on a nearby car, "If you're going to volunteer to fetch some money from a loaner with the orders to 'immediately throw the loaner to sleep with the fishes' if he doesn't pay up, at least do it right. You didn't kill him, did you?"

"I couldn't. But I destroyed his vodka collection…"

"Vodka spilled on the floor won't make him pay the debt." Blue Gun Shot snapped, taking her own .45 out of her thigh pouch, "Really, you bull shit, do I have to do things myself?" She cocked her gun and walked towards the door.

"Hey!" Eagle Eye yelled, stopping her from doing so with a firm hand on her shoulder, "I gave the guy a month to pay. Can't we wait? At least we get paid."

"You gave the bloody shit another month to pay? But we have a sit-down three nights from now."

Eagle Eye rolled his eyes and said, trying to convince his partner, "We wait for the money and if he doesn't pay next month, we hot rod him."

"Hot ro—?"

"Kill, Hanabi."

"Damn it, don't use my real name!" Blue Gun Shot swatted Eagle Eye's hand away as she kept her gun and added, "And have you gone soft or something? If our loaners discover that Eagle Eye Hyuga is actually a merciful sissy, we're done for it."

Eagle Eye shook his head and walked ahead of his cousin. Blue Gun Shot caught up with his brisk walking and started talking, "Back then, you were _the _Eagle Eye Hyuga, son of Kosa Hyuga. Damn, cuz, now you're like some stupid low-class subordinate. Oh my gawd, don't tell me…"

That last unfinished statement made Eagle Eye arch a brow passively. "…You've fallen in love, huh?" Blue Gun Shot concluding, gasping sarcastically.

"That's the last thing that'll happen to me."

"Right. But you had a girl last year, right? What was her name? Oh-what's-her-face?"

"I don't know."

Blue Gun Shot laughed and ridiculed him, "Oh, gawd, you can't even remember the name of the bitch you went straight with 15 months ago! Haha! I think her name was Sa—…"

"Shut up." Eagle Eye snapped, batting her head forward, "I'm not going to fall in love again. Not again. I'm putting the mafia as my top priority so… yeah, love stinks. You, on the other hand, lack taste."

"You shut up, ass hole. My guy's pretty good."

"Hn, great? Just coz he pays your debts?"

"That. And a lot of other reasons that you don't need to know."

Eagle Eye chuckled and went on, saying, "Well, let's make a bet. I'm not going to fall in love again. As long as I stay single and straight-faced when it comes to other girls, you pay me up a thousand monthly. If I lose, you get my birthright."

"Shit, your birthright? That's the right to head the mafia when Kosa Hyuga's kicked the bucket, yeah?"

The teenage boy nodded and said without much thought, "Got that right. It's not like you'll win this bet, anyway. The paying of the thousand starts tomorrow and the next pay will be next month. If you _do _get my birthright, it wouldn't matter. I can leave this crap mafia to you."

"Sweet!" Blue Gun Shot exclaimed, throwing her fist into the air, "I am _so _going to be happy on your wedding day."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Get out of here!"

"What?! Why the hell are you throwing us out, you bitch?"

"This is a restaurant! You can't smoke weed here!"

"And if we want to?"

"_Gawd, I hate these bull shits." _The waitress thought, biting her lip as she stood in front of six drug smokers, _"Can I at least kick their heads off of their necks? No, calm down, Tenten. You wouldn't want to get fired _again_, right? Tell them to get lost… nicely."_

"Uh…" Tenten started, clearing her throat, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to— Shit!"

A corner of her skirt caught a small flame from one of the smokers' lighter. Then and there, the smokers laughed boisterously, watching Tenten slap the corner of her skirt to put the fire out while she screamed.

Many diners have started to take attention and even Tenten's employer was witnessing everything with a worried expression. "Hey, girlie!" one of the weed smokers called her when she was done with the fire on her skirt. He leaned nearer to her and asked jokingly, "How much are you?"

The men started cackling uncontrollably as Tenten's blood started to boil. _"Alright," _she thought angrily, _"That went _too _far."_

And as the man kept laughing, Tenten walked closer to him and threw her head forward, making it wham against the smoker's. The man drew back in pain, groaning and holding his forehead in agony. More of the diners took more attention.

"You want a piece of me, eh?" Tenten screamed, holding her fist up, "Huh? Do ya?"

With that, the group of weed smokers stood from their booth and cracked their knuckles.

"_Oh, shit," _Tenten thought panicking, _"Wh-What have I done? I… I don't know how to fight six able-bodied men all at the same time!"_

One of them gave her a blow to the stomach, making her clutch her abdomen in twinge. When someone threw his weight against her back, she fell onto the floor and moaned as the six smokers kicked and sent blows against her.

She couldn't do anything but shed a few tears out of pain and place her hands over her head in fear. Tenten could tell that some of the other diners tried to stop the spat, but their efforts were in vain.

For Tenten, all she could see at the moment was the floor and the five drops of blood on it that came from her jaw. She heard jeers, her groaning and the sound of the hitting.

"_Oh my gawd, when is this going to stop?" _She thought in panic and distress as they kept on beating her up, _"Help me! What kind of things do I get myself into, anyway? Shit, shit, shit!"_

And finally, they stopped. Before she looked up to see what was happening, she heard hastened and heavy steps that led out the diner door. They were finally gone.

Tenten held her head up and gazed at the people who tried to pick her up. Even her employer was there. And he said, "Tenten, come to my office."

She nodded and limping, she walked to her boss' office in depression.

Once she was there, she took a seat in front of his desk and prepared to listen. She checked her arms and legs for bruises and found several. Her backside still hurt and her hip was aching. And there was still blood down her bottom lip.

"Tenten," her boss started, "This has been the fourth time you got into an unnecessary fight with customers this week. Last time, it was a grandma." She hung her head low and sighed. "And," her employer added, "You're just lucky that you're not badly hurt."

Hearing this, she could only nod. "But," her boss said, "I have to fire you now. The restaurant has been carrying a pretty bad reputation ever since you started working here. Plus, you're getting beaten up more often. I can't take responsibility for that. I'm sorry. "

"_Damn it."_

And with a heavy sigh, Tenten mumbled, "I understand." Her boss held a sympathetic and pitying look. He knew Tenten was just a desperate teenager who needed a part-time job since she needed money for college. And she's also sweet during the right times.

"Proceed to the locker room, return the uniform and leave."

With those instructions, Tenten got up and did as she was told.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Who's the next loaner?"

Eagle Eye flipped his notebook open and checked the next person to persuade into paying. They all loaned money from the mafia, but they were all overdue. If the mafia doesn't get the money soon, it'll have terrible outcomes.

"The next loaner is," Eagle Eye began, closing the book, "Old Man Masaki."

Blue Gun Shot arched her brows and started to chuckle, "Old Man Masaki, eh? That ass owes us almost 10,000 dollars! And every year, he either succeeds in convincing Kosa Hyuga to let him pay next time or asks more money from us. He's like a persuader, only old. Really old."

"Do you think he's even alive?"

"He's not, dummy. His wife is dead, too."

"So, who are we going to ask the money from? His dog?"

"He must have children. From my research, he has a kid working at this diner here." Blue Gun Shot pointed at the diner nearby with her gun at hand. It was a simple diner in the middle of a fast food chain.

With that, Eagle Eye cocked his gun and said, "Well, let's go."

"Sure. I do the shooting."

"No unnecessary shooting, bitch."

"Damn you."

They crossed the street and walked into the diner with their guns hidden in their pockets. Eagle Eye approached the counter and asked, "Is the guy managing this place here? We need to talk to him."

Hearing that, the girl behind the counter nodded and called for the store manager, Tenten's (And everyone else's) boss. He came out, welcoming Eagle Eye and Blue Gun Shot. "Do you know anyone with the name Masaki?" Blue Gun Shot asked him inertly.

He nodded and said, "Why, yes. He's an old friend of mine. But, unfortuna—…"

"Does his kid work here?"

"Not anymore, sorry. I had to fire the poor child."

"Where is he?"

"She's still here, though. She'll be out in a minute. Would you like me to call her?"

Eagle Eye arched a brow at the words 'She' and 'her'. Blue Gun Shot raised her brows and replied, "Hurry her out. We need to talk to her."

The two Hyugas exchanged glances when Tenten came out in her jacket and jeans. "Pretty hot chick, eh?" Blue Gun Shot whispered discreetly to Eagle Eye, teasing him. Eagle Eye simply rolled his eyes and began, "What's your name, kid?"

"Tenten."

"You're Masaki's daughter?"

"Well, yeah."

"Know the mafia Caged Hyuga?"

"I've… heard of it. Why?"

Blue Gun Shot took her turn to talk as she eyed Tenten indifferently, "Your pops owes the mafia money."

Hearing that, Tenten's eyes grew, "Are… Are you part of that mafia?"

"Sure are. Now, about the money…"

Tenten's former boss' eyes grew in worry. He unnoticeably reached into his pocket, trying to dial the police on his phone while it was in his pocket. Eagle Eye took his gun out and pulled the trigger, shooting and missing the man nearly when he noticed the man dialing something on his phone.

He smirked and growled, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Take your phone out and put it on the counter."

Obediently, the man did as he was told as Blue Gun Shot went on, "Your father owes the mafia money. We need it _now_."

"I-I'm sorry, but…" Tenten tried to talk her way out of trouble, "I never knew that my father owed you guys money. A-And, I lost my job earlier. I don't have money now! I need time."

Blue Gun Shot sighed and pointed her gun at Tenten, saying, "Gawd, I hate it when you shitty people ask for more time. Screw you."

Eagle Eye's hand drew the gun away as he told his cousin, "Oh, come on, don't kill her now. She didn't even know that her dad owed us money. What d'you say we give her the time she needs? Let's say… a month?"

"Whose side are you on, cuz?" Blue Gun Shot screamed, eyeing Eagle Eye angrily. Tenten was simply relieved that one of them isn't the kind to just finish you off then and there.

With a compassionate look at the girl, Eagle Eye said, "Look, give her a month. That's it. By then, she could have a new job and she'd have at least half of the 10,000, right? Come on, Blue G." His eyes pierced through her, forcing her to drop her gun and mutter.

"A month again?" Blue Gun Shot growled, "Make it three weeks."

"Three and a half!" Eagle Eye bargained.

"Four. Take it or leave it."

"That's a month, dumb ass."

"Take it or leave it, bastard!

"Deal."

Tenten was there to hear everything and she spoke up, trying to get it clear, "So, you're giving me four weeks to get the money I need and you won't kill me, right?" The two Hyugas nodded in acknowledgement.

"But," Blue Gun Shot added, "We don't want you leaving the country, changing your name and hair color and all just so you can escape this shit. So, Eagle Eye here is going to keep an eye on you."

With that, Eagle Eye yelled, "What?! We didn't talk about that!"

"Well," Blue Gun Shot explained, "If she gets away with this, Kosa Hyuga will do away with us. Do we have much of a choice? Where do you live, kid?"

Tenten hesitated in answering till a gun was aimed at her again, "In my parent's house at Sunset Bay View Street."

The mafia partners whistled upon hearing that. The mansion at Sunset Bay View Street is one worth robbing from. "Which means," Blue Gun Shot said, placing her arms across her chest, "Either my cousin here lives in the same place or he sleeps outside."

Eagle Eye grumbled and threw his cousin an irritated look.

Tenten sighed. If she won't agree to this, these two goons will just shoot her any time. But it's scary to let one of them into her house. So…

"He sleeps outside." Tenten concluded, half-smiling. With that, Blue Gun Shot grinned and concluded,

"10,000 dollars in four weeks. We'll be waiting."

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**Tell me what you guys think through a review, okay? Thanks!**


	2. Day One: Awkward Beginning

**Alright, I tried to update ASAP, but I only got a chance to write now. Happy weekend for me!**

**So, yeah, here's the second chapter and I hope you guys will enjoy.**

**Kankuro: I won't.**

**Me: You always don't.**

**Kankuro: -playing: 'Lonely'- Why don't you ever write a fic about me, huh? You call yourself a decent fan girl? Huh? Huh?**

**Me: I wrote one about you…**

**Kankuro: But it sucked!**

**Me: Well, deal with it! Please leave a review, guys! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I own the story mentioned above in this dialogue.**

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"So let me get this straight," Tenten started as she walked beside Eagle Eye, "Starting today, I have to live under your eye while I earn money enough to pay my dad's debts, right?"

With that, Eagle Eye nodded and muttered, "And if you either get away beyond the country limits or if anything happens to you, we're both dead."

As they stood at the sidewalk, searching for a cab, she said, "So, that's it? You're like someone who's looking after me and selfish enough to actually watch after my money income." Something told her that this wasn't going to be easy.

"I guess so," Eagle Eye answered, watching her try to hail a taxi with much difficulty. He practically pitied the kid. After a shake of a head, he stepped forward, yelled, "Hey! Taxi!". In a blink of an eye, one of the cabs present drove to them.

Tenten glared at him, as if telling him to stop showing off. The two got in and Tenten directed the driver to the local newspaper's database.

"I hope you don't mind going there first," Tenten told Eagle Eye, "But I have a friend there and I need to talk to him first."

Hearing that, Eagle Eye quivered and mumbled back, "You're gonna report me or something, aren't you?" And then and there, he took out his gun, cocked it and held it against Tenten's head as he whispered, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Rolling her eyes, Tenten whispered back, "Put your gun away, pretty boy. I just want to ask them if they have a job opening there. You want me to get a job, right?" she pushed the gun away and added, "Besides, if the driver sees you, _he'll _be the one reporting you."

Seeing that the girl made sense, Eagle Eye kept his gun and eyed the taxi driver uneasily.

Sitting beside a guy who manipulates people with a gun and death threats inside the same cab is a little awkward and scary at the same time. For Tenten's case, she wishes her father had never borrowed money from the Hyugas. He was stinking rich, anyway, so why did he owe them money?

In a few minutes, they finally arrived and immediately, Tenten approached the intercom at the front of the entrance and paged for a certain "Rock Lee". Eagle Eye thought that maybe he'd better hide first to avoid anything that could come up, but Tenten held her grip on his sleeve.

"Don't worry about Lee telling on you," Tenten assured him, still holding onto him so he wouldn't get away, "Lee works for the Horoscope page. Nothing to worry about." He was a little hesitant, but he stayed anyway.

Soon, a bushy browed lad in a tweed and brown slacks appeared and greeted Tenten with a grin, "Hey, Tenten. Nice seeing you here. I thought maybe you'd be at work." He saw Eagle Eye and asked suddenly, "New boyfriend?"

Tenten's eyes widened and so did Eagle Eye's, but she proceeded to explain, "This is my friend. He's… going to rent a room in my house. Lee, do me a favor, will you?"

"Anything. Sure." Lee was ready to do anything for a friend.

"Do you have any job openings there in the press?" Tenten asked, arm locked with Eagle Eye's so he couldn't get away, "I kinda lost my job earlier."

Hearing that, Lee frowned and went on saying, "Sorry, Tenten, but from what I know, we even have too much employees. I hope you understand, though."

With that, Tenten just nodded and replied, "Oh, I see. Well, thanks anyway, Lee. I'll see you around, huh?"

As they walked away, Eagle Eye looked at the disappointed girl who had her arms locked to his. He sighed and spoke up, "You know, I think I remember a place that needs someone like you."

Her eyes lit up when he said that and she turned to him, "Are you serious?" she exclaimed, "Damn it, take me there, then. The sooner I get a job, the sooner we get this shit done." Then and there, Eagle Eye started to walk briskly, leading the way with a passive face.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"I am _not _going to work at a bar."

Eagle Eye snorted as they stood outside the bar and explained, "Oh come on, it'll be perfect for you." He eyed her up and down and added, "Look, they have a good weekly pay. That's the only important thing, anyway. Plus, with that stance of yours, they'll hire you immediately."

_Slap._

"Fuck!" he yelled, holding his hurting cheek, "What did you do that for, huh?"

His eyes met with angry brown ones as she screamed back at him with her hands on her hips, "With my stance? With my stance?! Hey, just because you're complimenting my body doesn't mean I won't take offense to it! I am not going to work here! And you could at least try to be gentlemanly!"

"What did I say wrong?" he snapped back, looking at her with a confused expression, "When I said something about getting hired ASAP because of your stance, I meant your attitude, jackass! Tough girls survive longer, you know."

Hearing his explanation, her glare softened a little before she slapped him again.

"Quit it!" Eagle Eye growled, grabbing her wrist in fury, "You're really lucky that I have orders not to kill you."

She bit her lip and heaved a heavy sigh before snatching her wrist away and saying, "So, anymore smart job openings, Black Eye?"

"Eagle…"

"Whatever. Do you have any more decent jobs to offer or should we head home?"

"Uh…"

"But… not head home as in _our _home," Tenten blurt out all of a sudden before he could even continue, "Of course, it's my house, but it'll be kinda like your home from now forward, right? Y-You get my point. I'm just saying that maybe you'd want to head home now… _my _home… not ours…"

She smiled back as he stared back blankly and in a few seconds, Eagle Eye shrugged and answered, "It's up to you. I'm fine either way."

With that, Tenten sheepishly grinned and said, "Oh. Well then, can you do me a favor and get a cab? We're heading to my house."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_Knock Knock._

"Who the hell's there?"

"Blue Gun Shot. I've got news, Kosa Hyuga."

"Well, what're ya standing outside my door for? Get in, idiot."

With a sound not less than a creak, Blue Gun Shot entered the room and there, she stood before Kosa Hyuga as he sat on his chair in front of a fireplace. He eyed the girl with his piercing eyes, waiting for her report.

"Man, it's the middle of summer and you have your fireplace on…" Blue Gun Shot commented before stating her real report. She cleared her throat then said, "Anyway, we found Old Man Masaki's daughter. I placed Eagle Eye on guard for her actions. We gave her four weeks to earn the money."

Hearing that, Kosa Hyuga chuckled and rested his chin on his hand as he slowly recalled, "Ah, yeah. Masaki. The bastard did nothing but ask for money. Who knows what he spends it all on?"

He grabbed for a cigarette stick from his pocket and lit it as he held it between his lips. He blew some smoke before instructing, "Keep an eye on them every now and then and report any happenings. Got that?"

Blue Gun Shot nodded and replied, "Do I have much of a choice, anyway?"

"And don't forget," Kosa Hyuga added, "that if he gets the cops' attention, we get him whacked. Clear? And that girl…"

Hearing the boss' tone to be so skeptical and suspicious wasn't much of a good sign. Usually, if he spoke of anyone with that same tone, that person is dead the next day. But Blue Gun Shot doubted this to be the case.

"Do me a favor and watch that girl." Kosa Hyuga finally said, "If she gets away without fully paying for her father's debt, we pull the ropes on her."

"P-Pull the ropes on her? What the hell…?"

"Kill, idiot. Haven't you familiarized yourself with the mafia language yet?"

With that, Blue Gun Shot rolled her eyes and growled something under her breath. After she was dismissed, she walked down the hall and knocked on another door nearby. She waited until the door opened for her.

"I heard Cousin Eagle's not coming home tonight." A feminine voice stated amid the darkness of the room.

Blue Gun Shot closed the door behind her and said, "Gawd, Black Ivory, get a grip." She flicked the light switch on and let the fluorescent bathe the room in light. Her sister appeared from under the light. "He's not coming home for business reasons, twit." Blue Gun Shot explained.

Hearing this, Black Ivory bit her lip and muttered, "Then our plans will be delayed."

"Gee, you think?"

"Shut up, Hanabi."

"Why does everyone keep on using my real name, hm? Would you like it if I used yours, _Hinata_?"

"Shut up, you immature bitch," Black Ivory snapped, throwing a ball of tissue at her, "Anyway, back to business. If we want Eagle Eye dead before the sit-down, we have to either go to him or make him come back. What's his business outside, anyhow?"

Blue Gun Shot placed her arms across her chest. She was getting tired of being the messenger, "Old Man Masaki's kid is the only one left alive to pay us back. If we don't get paid back, we're done for it. Believe it or not, we owe other mafias money, too. And six of our group have been done away with already…"

"Like I don't know that." Black Ivory replied, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, "So, this is what we're going to do: While Eagle Eye's spending his days there in some girl's house like a newly wed, we'll be revising the new drug we worked on last week. It'll knock Eagle Eye out forever when he drinks it."

"And how do you think will Eagle take it in?"

"Simple." Black Ivory smirked, "You'll pay them a visit."

As her sister cackled, Blue Gun Shot rolled her eyes and thought, _"Gawd, why am I the youngest in this totally whacked out family?"_

Black Ivory leaned forward and handed Blue Gun Shot a small bottle of white pills, saying, "Now, go run to the lab and keep revising this until it becomes a tasteless and odorless poison. Come back when you're done."

After that, Blue Gun Shot got out of the room and started towards the lab, muttering, "I hate it when they order me around."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"_Oh, gawd, this mafia dork is so not going to sleep in my house… The damned crap head…"_

She took out a sleeping bag and a folded up DIY tent out of her cabinet, walked out into the pocket garden and threw it all onto the rocky ground. With an irritated stance, she threw the manual onto the pile and explained, "You sleep here. You are not to step foot inside my house, okay?"

After she brushed her hands onto her shorts, Tenten watched Eagle Eye pick the sleeping bag up and say, "What am I? A dog? Look, Twenty, if you wanna live to see the next sunrise, you gotta at least respect me. I _am _a mafia boss, after all."

"Well," Tenten arched a brow and looked at him with squinted eyes, "You'll be getting money from _me_. If you want the money, you live under my rules. As long as you're stepping on my father's soil, you follow the rules. And my name's Tenten, not Twenty."

"Ten plus Ten equals Twenty so… what's wrong with what I said, huh?"

She heaved a sigh as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "Just… stick with my name, okay? There's an outhouse somewhere here, I forgot where. You are not to enter my room or my bathroom, especially if I am there. No taking advantage or—…"

"Bitch. Don't be smug." Eagle Eye snapped, eyeing her angrily, "If I had a choice, I wouldn't even be here. Now, I don't need the outhouse since you've got soil in the garden, anyway…"

"Use the outhouse only, damn it! I don't want my garden smelling like shit or piss!"

"Alright, alright. So… what time will breakfast be?"

Hearing that, Tenten stared blankly at him and said, "I am _not _making breakfast for you. Heck, I don't even eat breakfast for myself. There's a convenience store somewhere nearby so go chow there. I do the same thing. Any questions?"

Eagle Eye arched a brow and questioned, "Yeah, I got one: Where's the Jacuzzi?"

Tenten grumbled something under her breath before replying, "It's on the second floor, but you are not, I repeat, not to leave the perimeter of this pocket garden. You may go out of the gate any time, be my guest. You can't touch my car and you are definitely not allowed to—…"

"Where do I take a bath?"

With that, Tenten slapped her face in annoyance. She hates it when people cut her off. "Anywhere but my bathroom. At the sea in front of the house, at the birdbath… I don't care. Just keep your manly germs away from me."

"_Gawd," _Eagle Eye thought with a huff, _"This is just like staying in my mother's house all over again."_

"Any more stupid questions, chum?" Tenten sarcastically asked, placing her arms across her chest. The pale lad shook his head as he gazed at the messed up pile of metal stilts on the ground.

Tenten looked at him pitifully before adding, "And if you do or try anything funny, I'll call the police ASAP. I shouldn't even be letting you stay here. But for my dad, I'm doing this." And Eagle Eye just nodded in reply, still looking at the stuff on the ground.

The two stood there, saying nothing as the wind picked up a little. "Say," Tenten started, perking her head, "What do they call you in your mafia HQ?"

"Eagle Eye Hyuga." He mumbled back, looking up at her from the ground, "But everyone in my HQ has 'Hyuga' in his or her name since we're all related. They call me Eagle Eye Hyuga because I used to be a sniper."

Hearing that made Tenten promise herself not to sleep by the window tonight.

"Got another name?" Tenten asked, shrugging, "Like… your real name? Coz I wouldn't want to be calling you Eagle Eye while you're here."

Hesitantly, Eagle Eye looked away and mumbled, "It's… Neji."

With that, a snort came out of Tenten, making her shoulders shake as she stopped her giggles. "Neji?" she repeated, "Doesn't that mean 'screw'?"

Neji rolled his eyes and said with a passive tone, "I can't build my tent with you standing here, right? Get in the house and leave me alone." And with that, he knelt down and started rummaging through the cloth and stilts, totally clueless.

After huffing at him, Tenten arched a brow and entered her home through her glass sliding door, saying, "Good night, Screw."

And she didn't forget to lock the door from the inside.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Why do Hinata and Hanabi want Neji dead? Will Tenten ever find a job in time? Will she ever get along with her new 'friend'? As for Neji, will he eventually fall for this girl and lose his birthright?**

**So many questions, no answers till the next coming chapters. Psyched.**

**Kankuro: Since when did you do that questioning-at-the-end-of-the-chapter thing?**

**Me: Since… now.**


	3. Day Two: Job Hunt Part 1

**Me: Alright, let me tell you guys that I am not familiar with anything related to mafias or mobs. So, I'm not one.**

**Kankuro: Oh, come on! That is so weird! You're writing a mafia fic and you're totally clueless about it?!**

**Me: It's true, anyway! Besides… I'm still… uh, researching on mafias. Back then, I thought a mafia was… a dance.**

**Kankuro: -eyes wide in amusement- I… I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said. Please repeat.**

**Me: -sigh- You heard me, Kankuro…**

**Kankuro: No, seriously, I need you to say it again, please.**

**Me: -heavier sigh- Back then, I thought a mafia was a… uhm, dance.**

**Kankuro: -brings in cameramen and a mic- Say it one last time. But this time, loud enough for the whole world to hear.**

**Me: -smirk- Kankuro's not wearing underwear today! I saw!**

**Kankuro: Oh my gawd, how did you know?! -faints of embarrassment-**

**Me: -jaw drop- WTF.**

**Random Camera Man: Okay, I got that! It'll be aired in a few minutes!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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"Oh my gawd, he's gone!"

Tenten stood outside in her pocket garden in her pajamas, staring at the same pile of cloth and metal stilts she left here last night. The only thing is: her mafia guard wasn't here.

She lifted the cloth up to check if he was beneath it and found nothing. She ran to the outhouse and found it empty (But the toilet bowl, on the other hand, wasn't.). Eventually, she ran back to the unset tent and thought, _"If he did anything criminal, I swear I'll—…"_

_Chink._

_Chink, Chink, Chink._

As she pulled on the sliding door's handle, she kept hearing the same sound. And she knew it was the sound the door makes whenever you tried to open it when it was locked. _"Shit." _She thought, _"No way…"_

"Screw!"

She hit her fist against the glass, calling his name in anger. _"That guy has some nerve to actually do this." _She thought furiously, gritting her teeth. She swears she'll hit him once she's got a hold of him.

After a few yells, she saw Neji smirk from the inside, chuckling at poor little her beyond the clear glass. Upon seeing him, Tenten pointed at him and exclaimed, "Listen, buster, I am so going to call the police if you ever steal anything or do any other crappy things in my house, understand?!"

With that, Neji just pressed his face against the glass and made a face. Once he had drawn his face away, he replied, "Try that and I'll kill you."

That made her shrink back a little. Definitely, a mafia gangster can say that and mean it any time.

He held a smirk before her and explained behind the glass door, "Don't worry. All I want to do is experience the luxury of your home. You know, the sauna, the pool, the bidet… the works. Besides, I need a bath."

"Oh, damn it, I swear if I ever find anything lost or misplaced, I will personally and single-handedly have you arrested!"

With those words, Neji took out his gun again and said jokingly, "And I, on the other hand, will personally and single-handedly have this gun against your head. And not just that, I'll even willingly shoot you."

And with that, Neji took out a marker and wrote _Ciao for Now, 20 _on the glass. After winking at her, he proceeded to the second floor.

"I swear, Eagle Eye Screw, I am so going to rejoice when you finally get your ass out of here!"

But he stopped in his tracks, walked back to her and whispered past the glass, "And, my name's Neji. Not Screw. So quit it, _Twenty_."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Yo, Twenty."

She turned to the glass door and saw Neji in a pink bathrobe with his long hair drenched. He looked pretty relaxed and satisfied.

When she saw this, Tenten's eyes grew as she pulled herself off of the ground. She briskly approached him and said furiously, shoving him by the shoulder, "Take that off! That's _my _bathrobe! Take it off!"

Arching a brow, Neji answered smoothly, "Maybe later."

Irritated, Tenten untied the knot that held the bathrobe together and pushed it off of him. When she did, her eyes grew wider when she went face to face with a (smexy) chest and nothing else to cover everything.

A blush appeared on her face as she turned around and reacted, "Oh my gawd, put it back on, put it back on!"

After a roll of the eyes, Eagle Eye tied it back on and muttered, "You never really listen to me, huh?" Once he had done doing so, Tenten placed her gaze on him again.

"Okay, what did you do to my house, eh?" she asked him, putting her hands across her chest, "Did you trash my living room? Destroy my game room? Cut the strings of the cellos in my music room? Abuse the ice cream machine? Stole my cash after figuring out my vault's code?"

Eagle Eye smiled and plainly answered, "Well, I made pancakes, took a bath, wore your bathrobe and… went out to invite you to breakfast."

All she did was stare back at him when she heard that. That explained the buttery aroma around.

"I didn't know you had an ice cream machine." Neji commented, chuckling.

"I don't." Tenten answered, walking into the house, "And I didn't tell you to make breakfast, right? You might've placed some drug in the food or something. You think I trust you already, don't you?"

He shrugged and honestly replied, "Well, kinda," he continued as he walked in with her, "I mean, I trust you already."

"That's because I don't have a choice. If I earned the money, I'd lose it anyway to your mafia and die of poverty. If I tried to escape this, I'd be dead. If I don't do this, I'm dead. Either way, I'll end up dying, right?"

"Why, did you think I had a choice?"

Hearing that out of Neji made Tenten stop and contemplate a little before heading to the kitchen, asked curiously, "Didn't you?"

Neji shook his head as he answered, "If I don't follow Kosa Hyuga's orders, they'll have me whacked or they'll just do away with me. After the next 28 days, I bet I'll be back to the same old chase where the other mafias try to kill me so our mafia will fall apart. Got a price on my head."

With that, she turned to him and giggled in amusement, "You're not exactly what I had in mind." She admitted, "I thought you'd be all tough and serious. I thought you'd always have a knife literally waiting to go down my neck. But here you are, inviting me to pancakes and wearing my bathrobe."

A snicker came out of Neji when she said this. "I'm… one of a kind?" he said with a grin.

"No." Tenten answered, "You're just different."

She walked up the stairs and made her way to her room with Neji still tailing her. "Aren't you going to have some breakfast?" He asked her as she entered her room. She slammed the door in his face without answering.

Tenten leaned on the door, listening to herself breathe. She knew that with this guy around, she's hardly safe anymore. She admits it: She didn't sleep a wink last night because she was worried he might kill her.

Locking the door yet again, she nervously went to her closet and picked out a pair of jeans and a simple shirt from her wardrobe. Her plan today was to try to get another job today. Hopefully, she'd soon get one and that Screw guy could leave her alone.

"_Come to think of it,' _Tenten thought as she made her way into the bathroom, _"Where _are _Eagle Eye's clothes?"_

And once she had entered the bathroom, she found his shirt, pants and even his socks hanging on the towel rack to dry.

"Gross."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

She came down from upstairs and found Neji still in the bathrobe.

Seeing this, she sighed and asked, "Why're you still in that thing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he answered as he read the newspaper, specifically the Entertainment section, "I didn't get anything packed for this stay, right? In fact, I think it was at short notice, even. So, unless you want me to go around in wet clothes or naked, I'll be in your bathrobe."

Tenten tapped her foot and said, "You left your clothes in _my _bathroom. What did I tell you about using _my _bathroom? I said you weren't allowed to."

"But the guest bathroom didn't have hot water."

"A heater has a purpose!"

"And would you have appreciated it if I took a bath in your swimming pool? I don't think so."

"I get your point, Screw, but you could at least hang your clothes to dry at the laundry area instead of my bathroom! You even had your underwear exposed there, you know! It was gross!"

"At least they were clean." His eyes were fixed on the newspaper instead of Tenten.

"Nu-uh!" she opposed, shaking her head at him, "They are not officially clean unless they go through the washing machine, the dryer and the iron. Which is exactly why I _did _get them cleaned."

Hearing that, Neji put the newspaper down. "Excuse me?" he said, "Did you say you had my clothes washed?"

Tenten shrugged and innocently said, "Well, your male germs were contaminating my house, right? So I picked them up and dropped them into the washing machine. You'll be getting them later. Right now, you need decent guy clothes if you're going out with me."

Silence.

"I mean, go out as in walk out of the house and look for a job…" she clarified, turning red again, "Not go out as in go out on a date, not that I want to go to one. Not with you, yes, but with some other guy I am yet to meet, sure. So, let's go out. Out of the house, I mean."

Once again, he stared blankly at her before saying, "Can I borrow some of your dad's clothes, then?"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Neji came out of the house in a polo and black slacks. He hated it.

"I don't understand why your dad has such corporate attire." He said, grumbling as they walked through the house, "Didn't he ever take a break from work and just wear casual wear? I mean, look at this. I look like I'm going to work."

She gazed at him from the corner of her eye, noticing his angled jaw line and the flawless skin that made up his face. His eyes were so gorgeous even with that angsty glare. Oh my gawd. His shoulders were broad and slender along with that charismatic scowl his lips thinly formed…

Realizing her sudden complimenting, Tenten shook her head a little before answering as she walked to the garage, "Meh, you look fine."

She took out her car keys from her back pocket and deactivated her Porsche's theft alarm. She took her seat behind the wheel and reacted when Neji sat at the back, "Hey, hey, hey!" she said, turning to him, "You're sitting here up at front. I have to keep an eye on you."

"What am I, a child?" he said, eyeing her pathetically as he got comfortable at the back, "Last night I was a dog and now I'm some toddler?"

After a roll of eyes and a nip of the lip, Tenten growled, "You'll be my foot rug soon if you don't come here this instant."

"_Right…" _Neji thought as he stood up to transfer to the front seat, _"Like that'll happen. This kid has some guts."_

Once he was beside her, she backed the car into the street and started to make her way through the streets. Soon, she was driving through, on her way to a store in the next ten blocks. Neji held the Job Listings for her and read the address to her as she drove.

Then, Neji looked at the rear view mirrors and saw a white low rider.

"Shit," he grumbled under his breath, "It's the Aburames."

"Huh?" Tenten said, hearing him.

"The Aburames are my mafia's rivals," Neji explained, taking his gun out from his pocket, "They've been trying to kill me for the past three months so there would be no heir to the Hyuga mafia…"

"What?!" Tenten exclaimed, "Why didn't you tell me that you're on someone's hit list?!"

"I didn't want you to think about it, that's all!"

"Well, now I am!" she screamed as she drove faster, overtaking more cars. Soon, gunshots were heard. The Aburames were aiming for their tires. "Gawd, if my tires burst, _you're _getting me new ones!" Tenten yelled at Neji, "These were limited edition white skins…"

"Shut up, Tenten," he answered back, "This is no time to be thinking about those damn tires. Keep driving faster and I'll try to shoot them back."

As he held his head out to try to shoot them, Tenten held him back and said, "Are you crazy? The police will see you! They'll get you and you'll be done for sure!"

Neji looked back at her as they drove at almost 200 mph, "Why do you care now?" he asked suspiciously as his hair flew about.

"Because you're a pretty whacked mafia guard and I don't want anyone more insane to watch over me!"

He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Wow. Real sweet, Tenten… Bravo. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be shooting now."

This time, he didn't let her hold him back. He held his hand out and started shooting aimlessly the white car roughly behind them. Before they knew it, the Aburames were already hitting their car's bumper at the back.

"Neji, make them stop!" Tenten shrieked as she held her ground on her seat while driving in a panic, "If they don't shoot us, we'll eventually crash into something with them hitting us. Do something!"

"What am I supposed to do, then?" Neji snapped back at her as she kept twisting through the intersections.

She gave him an angry glare before screaming, "Have you gone dumb? Do what the Aburames were trying to do earlier! Shoot their tires! Now that they're nearer, this'll be easier this time around! Do it!"

And with that, Tenten felt the wind through her hair as she kept her window open. She saw Neji hang his head out of his own window and try to shoot the tires. She heard his countless shots miss and finally, she heard one of the tires burst… but it was theirs.

"Shit!" Neji exclaimed, looking at their burst tire, "Sorry about that, Tenten. I misaimed."

"I don't care now!" Tenten yelled back as she tried to gain control despite the lack of one tire, "Keep aiming for them! The sooner we get rid of them, the better. Now go!"

Through those moments, Tenten couldn't feel her toes at all. She could tell that slowly, she was losing control and the shooting and the bumping behind her car was making her sweat and feel panicky. She can never get used to this.

Two gunshots and two tires of the Aburames have gone, from what she had heard and to her relief, she saw the Aburames' car lack behind and very soon, they have stopped tailing them.

Neji threw himself back into the car and when Tenten knew that she could relax now, she turned to the side sharply and with a skid and a screech, she had managed to park the car as both of them breathed heavily, recovering from the chase.

Tenten leaned back on her seat as her chest heaved up and down from difficult breathing. Neji, on the other hand, had his head on her lap as he kept his eyes closed while trying to catch his breath. He pulled himself up and mumbled, "H-Had fun?"

She looked at him angrily and grumbled, "Neji, please, please tell me that it'll never happen again."

With a smile, Neji joked with her, "Oh yeah? Well, I've been experiencing that for months and yeah, I still haven't gotten used to it, either." He fixed his seat before adding, "Besides, you didn't call me Screw after that chase, right? You called me Neji. I… kinda like that a lot, Tenten."

Tenten tried to recall when she did use his real name instead of Screw and answered with a grin, "Yeah, and you called me Tenten, too. Heh."

They looked around to see if the Aburames have bothered to follow them and when the coast was clear, they got out of the car to change that one tire Neji accidentally shot.

She took out the spare and asked him, "How do you survive those kind of things? I felt like I was going to die."

"It's a mafia's life for me." He answered as he fixed the tire onto the empty space, "If I couldn't handle that kind of thing, then I shouldn't have joined my family. It transforms a boring life into an adventurous one, so it's fun."

"But you risk everything once you've joined a mafia, right?"

"I guess," he replied as he gave the tire a quick shove, "You risk the lives of your loved ones aside from your own life. And if your enemy ever catches you, you lose everything: your property, land, and possessions… That's how it is."

Tenten picked the torn tire and kept it in the compartment as she questioned, "So it's not the kind of life for the weak, hm?"

"You can say that," he said, "We're not all guns, gold, money and whacking. There are advantages but there are more disadvantages. Even if you're rich, you can't get someone to stay with you. My mother regretted marrying my father at first, but eventually, she got used to it. Then, she got shot one day."

With that, Tenten closed the compartment door and kept listening to him as he said, "I used to have a girl, too. But when she found out that I was from the mafia, she dropped me like a hot potato. It's pretty rough, but I'm guessing it'll one day be worth it."

And once they were done, they got back into the car and Tenten revved the engine up again. Neji opened the Job Listings page again to recheck the address of the store they were looking for.

But before they went, Tenten turned to Neji and said, "You know what? I never thought you had a good side."

All Neji did was smile back when she added, "And don't worry. I can get used to these chases. Teach me how to shoot later."

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**When will Hanabi and Hinata make their moves? Will the Aburames strike again? Does that last line of Tenten affect her relationship with Neji? Will Neji have enough money to pay Tenten back for the tire he popped? Will Tenten be Neji's new girl?**

**Find out soon.**

**Kankuro: Seriously, those questions could keep me up at night.**

**Me: Want me to bombard you with more?**

**Kankuro: No, gawd!**

**Me: Will Tenten get a job at the store they're going to? Will Neji ever get his clothes ironed soon? Will Neji be sleeping in the garden again? Or will Tenten let him sleep in her own room? Will Tenten flirt with Neji? When will the lemon chapter come?**

**Random people I borrowed from Sorrel Piedra: Oh My Gawsh!**

**Kankuro: Stop it! Stop it! Arrgh!**

**Me: -laughing head off- This is so awesome! Oh, look! It's on!**

**Kankuro: What's on?**

**Me: The video of me proclaiming your underwearless-ness!**

**Kankuro: Nooo! -foaming again-**


	4. Day Two: Job Hunt Part 2

**Honestly, I am reconsidering making a lemon chapter right now. And I have a number of reasons.**

**Kankuro: -eyes almost pop out- What the hell are you saying, woman?!**

**Me: A reader said she's not exactly a lemon reader and as the author, it **_**is **_**kinda my concern. Plus, I'm not that much of a lemon writer.**

**Kankuro: Not much of a lemon writer?! You wrote 'To Die in a Traitor's Arms' and you can't write a decent lemon chapter? What **_**are **_**you?**

**Me: Well, I'm the writer so I can reconsider anything about the story any time as long as I authorize it! Besides, 'To Die in a Traitor's Arms' **_**wasn't **_**a lemon, idiot!**

**Kankuro: I am so going to hire a lawyer!**

**Me: -sigh-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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"What kind of summer is this?"

Tenten sipped her melon shake and grumbled as she and Neji sat in the car, parked outside the store she tried to apply for. They said she was too inexperienced to take the job. After all, she only finished high school a month ago.

"When I could be lounging in the beach, soaking the sun," she muttered in frustration, "I'm here, drinking a cup of cheap shake that tastes like glue. And I have to find a job, earn money, save for college and _pay some stupid mafia _and deal with a bug-eyed Screw guy."

Neji eyed her in anger as he muttered back with his arms folded, "It's not my fault, ne. And I can't believe this town. How come majority of the stores and outlets won't hire students who are applying for summer jobs?"

"We don't live in a town. We're in a big city. Don't you notice the neon lights at night and the daily police chases?"

He just shrugged and yawned as he said, "Town, village, city, country, subdivision… Wherever we live, there'll always be neon lights and police chases. Don't you think?" He sunk back into his seat before yawning again.

Tenten rolled her eyes at him and soon, she realized that she had finished all of her melon shake when hollow sips came from her straw. With that, she threw the empty plastic cup out of the window effortlessly.

"Litter bug." Neji muttered at her.

Hearing Neji, she shrugged and answered simply, "Wu wei."

With that, Tenten buckled her seatbelt again and Neji did the same. "Where's the next open job application?" she asked him, not bothering to turn to him.

Neji ransacked his pocket for the seven-fold job list and traced the letters with his eyes. "Uh, okay, I got an open slot here for a pub bartender and it's not far from here. The address is 194 Gyo— Ah, shit!" A faint buzz disturbed him.

"What? What is it?"

Dropping the newspaper, Neji took his vibrating phone out and calmly told Tenten, "Nothing. My phone was just ringing."

Tenten rolled her eyes as she revved the engine up and murmured something about 'stupid cellphones'.

Neji rolled his eyes back at Tenten before proceeding to read the message. Soon, he thrust his phone back into his pocket and when Tenten asked what it was, he merely shrugged and answered, "Mafia stuff. You wouldn't want to know."

With that, she shrugged back at him and went on, "Alright, where's the next destination, Captain Screw? The pub bartender thing would be the last stop for today since it's almost seven blocks away. I'm heavy on the gas. Next application after that?"

Ignoring the 'Screw' thing, Neji looked back at the job listings and when he didn't say anything for the next twenty seconds, Tenten started snapping her fingers in front of his face, calling his name. Soon, his face turned red.

"W-What the heck is that blush for?!" Tenten screamed as she backed away a little.

A smirk formed on his pale and angled face, "Next stop is a lingerie shop." He chuckled, turning to her (and probably imagining her in lingerie).

Hearing that, Tenten's cheeks flushed and she snapped, "Cross that out, Captain Pervert. Next, please?"

"Oh, come on, Tenten." Neji said, trying to convince her to give the shop a chance, "Besides, you've got negotiation and business woman skills, right? I bet you can sell a bra in three seconds flat, eh?"

"Gawd, not interested."

"Hey, at least there's money, right? I mean, look! The management pays 10 dollars an hour!"

"Let's go."

And with that, she pressed on the gas while Neji directed her to the lingerie shop.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Neji couldn't help but choke on air as he boisterously laughed in the car as he looked at the shop's sign.

"Oh, gawd!" He shouted out, still laughing his head off, "I can't believe the lingerie shop's name is 'Peachy Poppy's'! Gwaha! That is so hilarious! Oh my gawd!" Of course, Tenten eyed him furiously as he almost cried from laughing.

He puckered his face up mockingly and said in a falsetto tone as he imitated a lingerie shop vendor, "Hello! Welcome to Peachy Poppy's Lingerie Shop. Would you like to purchase our new transparent bra and panty set? Oh, we don't have dressing rooms, too. Haha! Gawd, _I _could work there!"

But Tenten managed to slap him lightly as she said, "Oh, cut it out, Neji, you're making me sick." When she got out of the car, she asked him, "Are you coming in to check the underwear out, then?"

Neji didn't hesitate in tagging along.

Tenten pushed against the store's door and she swears the bright light that illuminated the whole shop almost blinded her. Once Neji had caught sight of the racks of underwear and shelves of lingerie, he suddenly wiped off his perverted expression and grew rather red.

Strangely for Tenten, he had a 'gentlemanly' side that came out when he has seen to much underwear.

'Men…' she thought, rolling her eyes as she walked to the counter. At the counter was an indigo-locked girl that seemed to be younger than her by a year. She had a heavy bosom (and it showed) and what seemed to be a painted on blush.

"Welcome to Peachy Poppy's!" she greeted Tenten while Neji lagged behind from sudden trauma, "My name's Hinata. How may I help you?" Her voice seemed so angelic and her smile was so darling.

Then, they both heard a rack fall.

Tenten turned to find Neji staring at the counterperson. He was probably walking towards them and suddenly bumped on the rack. "H-Hinata?!" he exclaimed, pointing at the girl with an arched brow, "Black Ivory Hyuga?"

Hearing that, Tenten turned to Hinata and waited for any response. All Hinata did was smile back childishly and wave cutely at Eagle Eye. "Hi, Cousin!" she happily greeted, "I didn't expect to see you here! I heard you were out doing business, but I didn't know accompanying your girlfriend to buy her underwear was 'business' already!"

Neji rolled his eyes and asked, "Well, what the hell are _you _doing here?" He held his hand out at her and said, "Did you kill the real counterperson and raid the cash register again? Gawd, the police won't like this again."

Hinata looked away, keeping her grin on, as she giggled, "Oh, Cousin Eagle Eye, you're so funny! Ha! Ha!" But Tenten and Neji swear she kicked something from under the counter. Whatever it was, it's beyond them.

"Anyway," Tenten disturbed the 'reunion' by placing a copy of the job listing on the counter, "Sorry to interrupt the 'happy cousin reunion' and all, but I'm looking for a job. Do you work here, Hinata?" She knew Neji was glaring at her right now.

Hinata fervently nodded and pointed at her nametag with a wink, "I'm the counterperson, as you can see! The manager's not around right now, so what do you say I give you an application form and I'll give it to the boss when I can, hm?"

Tenten's eyes sparkled. Getting a job has never been this easy. "Are you serious?" Tenten squealed, clutching the list, "You can do that for me, Hinata? Can you?"

"Of course!" Hinata grinned back at her, "You guys wait here and I'll go get a copy of the form at the back." And there, she walked to the back for a form to fill up.

When she was gone, Neji grew a grip on Tenten's shoulder as he exclaimed, "Tenten, you can't be serious in trusting my cousin. Black Ivory's our master in disguise, deception, undercover spying and poison formulations. If you work here, she could just put powdered poison in _your _underwear."

"Oh, come on," Tenten snapped, brushing Neji's hand off, "She comes from your mafia organization. Why are _you _doubting _her_?"

"Because one thing I've learned from the mafia world is that no matter how close you are with a person, by blood or not, you can _not _trust him or her, lest you suffer the consequences."

"So you don't trust her, then?"

"Must I repeat what I just said?"

"Neji, stop overreacting! Give me one proof that I can't work here just because your cousin does, too."

Neji stopped for a moment before saying, finally, "She's part of a mafia. _Why _is she working?!"

"The hell do I know!" Tenten screamed at him, "All I need is the job so I can pay you fuckers up, okay? And maybe she's working so she can earn money, too. I dunno, how should I know, anyway? Just let me do this and when I die, you get to tell me 'I told you so!', okay?"

"I'm _not _willing to wait for that to happen, you shit!"

"Well, I—!"

Before Tenten could even continue her sentence, Hinata was back with a form and a fountain pen. At sight of her, Tenten tried to hide her anger towards Neji (and even kicked his shin with discretion). Once Hinata had pointed out where she had to sign and what she had to fill in, Tenten was already filling the form up.

When she was done, she shook hands with Hinata and said, "It was really nice working with you, Hinata. Perhaps if I get the job, I'll thank you with cookies over at my house, huh?"

And with that, Hinata cheerily answered, "Aw, it would be my pleasure! Eagle Eye, your girlfriend's so nice, you know! What's your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Tenten. But, I'm not exactly Eagle Eye's girlfriend…"

"Oh? Then, how are you related?"

Neji's face fumed up and he snapped in reply, "It's none of your business."

Tenten shot him a very irritated look as Hinata giggled with Neji's reaction. And as the two walked out of the shop, Hinata kept waving at them with her rosy cheeks. But when she was sure their car had gone, her eyebrows became knitted and she gave the squirming body under the counter another harsh kick.

"Damn you, bitch." She growled at the tied up personnel held captive under the counter, "You almost got their attention. It was just my luck that my cousin and his bitch was stupid and practically blind not to see you."

Hinata tore the apron off of her body and snapped, as if calling someone to her. Before she knew it, one of the manikins, who had its hair in a bun to keep its hair off of her tanned face, blinked her eyes open and actually moved. It stretched its cocky joints before it spoke, "Gawd, I thought they'd take forever."

She let her locks loose, letting them flow down. Her pearl eyes eyed Hinata angrily like always and she said, "So what's the next step in the plan, Black Ivory?" And with a quick rip, she tore the silk mask she had on, revealing her true face.

Hinata turned to her and answered, "Pretty simple, Blue Gun Shot. The next thing we just have to do is wait for the poison to do its stuff."

"Hm. Sounds good," Blue Gun Shot admitted, "But the poison was transmitted to the girl. Our target is Eagle Eye, right? How do we fix that?"

But Hinata just smirked and replied, "My stupid sister, we don't have to. See how Eagle Eye's so close to that girl and all? If he even gets to brush his arm against her, he'll get his fair share of the poison. Those two will be dead by dawn."

And with that, Hinata took her gun out and growled at the helpless counterperson, "I just don't want any witnesses."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_Bang!_

"Oh my gawd! W-Was that good?"

"Good? That was awesome!"

"Yeah?"

Tenten held her hand down as she stared back at the target she and Neji put up. At the near center of the cardboard was a bullet hole that Tenten made. She smiled in amusement as Neji complimented her accuracy.

"Are you sure you've never used a gun before?" Neji asked her in amazement, "You shoot like a pro! Although you don't know how to hold a gun properly, you have good aim. Don't you practice with a paintball gun or something?"

She chuckled as she gazed downwards with a shy smile and joked, "Do arcade shooting games count?"

The two laughed together at the simple joke. They were on the second floor of Tenten's home, out in the balcony patio by the swimming pool, whiffing the fresh night breeze every now and then. The giggling faded when Tenten questioned, "If I'm not holding the gun right, how come I can shoot right?"

Hearing that, Neji just shrugged and guessed, "Maybe it's beginner's luck or maybe you have a technique that enhances your accuracy even without the correct position."

"Yeah?" she said, turning to him, "Then can you show me how to hold it right and the right way to stand?"

With that, Neji nodded and neared her a little, standing behind her, a little too close. Tenten held her gun up again in the position she's been holding up. He corrected her hands by fixing her fingers as he stood behind her and to correct her angle.

Her thigh pressed against his as he nudged her leg forward so that she could attain the right position. She felt herself shrink back a little as he did without warning. "Place your foot a little more forward then you've got it right." He told her as he ran his hands through her arms as he took them away.

Tenten sensed herself gulp slightly as he passed her by. Something made her tingle with his touch.

"Now, shoot." He instructed her.

And there, Tenten pulled the trigger of her gun. With a loud sound, her bullet hit the target.

"I missed?"

Neji heard her and approached the cardboard to check it out. He found the hole almost twelve inches away from the center. "Missed?" he commented, "You practically shot past the thing. Are you sure you held your stance right?"

"Duh." Tenten snapped back, "Or maybe the position you taught me was wrong."

"Hey, that's the way I stand when I shoot, you know," Neji opposed, pointing at her as he walked back to her, "And check this out. I hold that stance while I shoot and look at this."

He took his position and let out five shots. After that, he motioned for her to get a closer look at the target. To her surprise, there was only one hole on his target. All five bullets went through the middle.

"Impressive." she muttered as she rolled my eyes, "But really, showing off isn't something that's worth seeing. Get real."

Neji huffed as he reloaded his gun again, eyeing Tenten as she tried to aim correctly. "Can I ask you something, Neji?" she asked as she closed one eye to aim again, "Honestly, I thought you wouldn't agree to give me shooting lessons. Why did you agree?"

He merely shrugged and replied, "Well, it's a way of celebrating your new job."

Hearing this, she grinned and just chuckled as she prepared to fire again. After a loud bang, once again, she found her bullet to be far from the middle of the target. And if she was right, her eyesight was beginning to blur. Was she tired or something?

"Sh-Shit…" she wearily muttered, "I think I need to lie down…"

When she said this, Neji turned to her and watched her blink her eyes over and over again. Something about this seemed to be too familiar to him. Then, he got another text message. His eyes quickly read the message and when he had finished doing so, he dropped his gun and phone and ran to Tenten.

"Don't move!" he yelled at her, as she looked at him, perplexed, "Stay there! I said don't move!"

She didn't know why he wanted her to do so, but she did anyway. Next thing she knew, he had his face buried down her neck with his breath trickling down her skin. She felt him breathe in her aroma through his nose. Her spine tingled and she immediately shoved him away.

"Oh my gawd, what was that for, bullshit?!" she screamed at him, looking at him accusingly. But Neji wasn't showing any embarrassment in his features or any lust. He had worry and panic in his eyes, instead.

And soon, he instructed her, "Hold your breath now!" She failed to do so and before she knew it, Neji had ran past her and lunged at her with his arm clutching her by the stomach. Then, both of them fell into the pool behind them.

Beneath the surface, Tenten opened her eyes to see. The chlorine stung her eyes a little and she tried to swim her way to the top. When she couldn't, she felt someone grab her by the wrist and raise her above the surface.

With a burst of water, she gasped for air upon reaching the surface. "Hey!" she screamed at the drenched Hyuga beside her, "What was that for? First you go sniffing my neck then you try to drown me. What the fuck were you doing?!"

"Let me explain!" Neji said, trying to hold her up to keep her from falling into the water once again, "I got a message. Someone told me that Hinata's fountain pen had a special poison that was excreted through writing, obviously. When you filled up that application form, you got the poison in you. I knew that poison and only water could delay the effects."

Something told Tenten that she didn't want to believe him as he went on, "I needed to find out if it was true, so I had to get a whiff if your scent. If you had trace of the poison's smell, I'd have to get you into some water before the poison gets worst. Get me?"

"Gawd, I don't think I can believe you, damn it!" she yelled, shoving him, "How can you be sure? Who sent you the message that made you suddenly believe that crap? I thought you mafia people didn't trust anyone."

Neji stopped to stare back at her as they both gagged in chlorine and water. He lowered his gaze as he watched some of his strands float to the surface. Finally, he said, "Well, when the life of someone who matters is at stake, we have to take the risks of trusting others."

Hearing that, Tenten's eyes softened and after a few seconds, she pulled herself out of the water. She tried to get up in her soaked clothes and she went to Neji's phone. She picked it up and read the message he received. He was telling the truth.

When she turned to look at Neji, he was already out of the pool, squeezing some water out of his hair. She bit her lip and asked, "So… I'm part of the Kill-Eagle-Eye-Coz-Everyone's-After-Him Hunt, now?"

Neji nodded but said, "But don't worry, okay? I've got more skill than them so there's more of a chance of them dying than of me dying." And with that, he grabbed his guns and invited, "Let's come inside. I think it's getting late."

It was 7:29 p.m.

Tenten looked back at the message and repeated Neji's words in her head…

"_When the life of someone who matters is at stake, we have to take the risks of trusting others…"_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Why, again, do Hinata and Hanabi want Neji dead? Will Tenten get involved with the predator-prey hunt? Is the poison still in effect? What about Tenten's job? What was the message that Neji got earlier in the car for? **

**Find out soon.**

**I know I took so long in posting this, so forgive me.**

**Kankuro: Oh, come on, that's it for now? Like always, Ruki, you suck.**

**Me: You're not exactly my idea of encouraging and supportive.**

**Kankuro: Well, too bad.**


	5. Day Three: Pub Job & Womanly Issues

**Surprisingly, I dreamt of this happening in the fifth chapter so I decided to just follow it. Haha.**

**Kankuro: Gawd, I hate people like you.**

**Me: Don't **_**you **_**have dreams?**

**Kankuro: I'm supposed to.**

**Me: … Huh?**

**Kankuro: Gaara's still got insomnia, you know. And he wakes me up every three hours for a glass of warm milk. Do you think I'd have time for sissy dreams and all?**

**Me: Yeah. Let's make a bet. Tonight, you'll dream of Gaara asking for warm milk.**

**Kankuro: Deal! I'm betting 50 bucks I won't!**

**Me: 50 bucks that you will!**

**Gaara: I shall hold the money!**

**Both: No!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I never will, I guess.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"It smells like… raspberries."

She gagged a little as she took another whiff of the 'antidote' he formulated for the poison and gave him a glare that pierced through him. He, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and said, "Quit complaining. I had to go to the store to buy a bottle of Ibuprofen and it bore a hole in my wallet."

Hearing this, she reacted quickly, "Ibuprofen? You said this was an antidote for the pen poison thing! You added Ibuprofen?!"

Simply, he nodded. Holding his cup up, he explained some more, "On its own, the antidote smells and tastes like dried potpourri, which isn't that satisfying, if you ask me. So I mixed yours with grape juice. I hope you like grape juice." And there, he smirked at his cup of antidote.

"So, why is yours in tequila?" Tenten asked, pointing at his cup.

But Neji just shrugged and mumbled, "I hate grape juice."

Still, Tenten was pretty skeptical. It's not right. It didn't feel right. She woke up an hour ago and she didn't find him home again. She locked the doors and made sure _she _wasn't locked out again. But he came back with a bag of medical pills and such. Then, he concocted the antidote in the kitchen.

Seriously, if a mafia guy made grape juice with 'magical, special poison antidote' in it, would you drink it, even if it does smell like raspberries?

"No." Tenten shoved the cup away from her as they both sat in the dinner table, "Who knows? You might be actually making the poison worst."

"I asked my apprentice about it. She sent me the recipe for the antidote and the correct one at that."

"Are you sure this is safe? I mean, I'm not even sure if this is grape juice or liquefied rat poison."

"Oh, so the bitch still needs proof, huh?" He grabbed her cup and downed the whole thing with a quick gulp. He cringed a little and coughed before he stuck his tongue out and said, "Maybe you'd want to take it with the tequila, instead. It tastes like detergent with the grape juice."

But she shook her head, poured more of the grape juice/antidote into her cup and said, "If this didn't kill you, then I'm taking this in, too."

But as she eyed the liquid, she dropped her head onto the table and sobbed, "Oh, gawd, how am I supposed to know if you're telling the truth, damn it? Besides, it smells funny. Shouldn't I have the right to decline this gunk?"

"C'mon, Tenten, you had me worrying all night." Neji said, shoving the cup back to her, "You went to the bathroom thrice in an hour this morning at 4. Then, you were having stomach cramps. And—…"

"Oi! That's _not _the effect of the poison!" She knew she had turned a little red from what she heard out of him. It was unbelievable that he thought it was the poison's effects.

But Neji just chuckled, "And you're pretty moody, too. I didn't know the poison had that kind of effect, too. Black Ivory must've upgraded it…"

Tenten found herself shrinking back in her seat and brushing her hand under her butt. It was a little uncomfortable and it got her a little self-conscious. "How'd you know I went to the bathroom this morning? And the stomach cramps? Have you been spying on me?"

"Gawd, no." Neji quickly answered, rolling his eyes again, "Your bathroom light seeps through the little bathroom window and it blinds me every time you open it, especially when the sun hasn't even risen. And you were ranting about stomach cramps when you went to let me in when I cam home." There, he smiled without a reason.

She somehow traced a little mischief in his smug grin and she asked him with a shrill and panicky voice, "It's a girl thing! Don't try to find out!"

Neji laughed as he took a gulp of the tequila/antidote he had. After a gag, he said, "Relax. I have two cousins who are girls. And I have to bear with the pain of living with them. They leave their marks everywhere."

"Damn it, I don't want to talk about that, you know! It's embarrassing!"

"Okay, okay. I'll keep my mouth shut for now." He zipped his mouth and tossed the imaginary key off his shoulder. So juvenile from what she saw.

She eyed him angrily and without much thought, she downed her grape juice/antidote and gagged some more once she had it down her throat. She finished three cups of water to wash the disgusting taste off. And with that, she asked, "What makes you think we still need to take the antidote?"

Neji took her cup and tapped it on the table absent-mindedly as he said, "Black Ivory's signature poison's don't have immediate effects. Sometimes, it has to be triggered by something first. My apprentice didn't tell me what could trigger the effects, so I made antidotes just to be on the safe side."

Hearing that, she simply nodded and turned to look at the time. Seeing that it was already 9:45, she sighed and told him, "The lingerie job can't work. This morning, I turned the TV on and saw a news broadcast on the bloodbath in that place. Three were found dead and Hinata was out of sight."

With that, Neji felt himself shiver a little. He knew his cousin could be such a traitor and all. One second, she's all cutesy and screaming cooties and in the next, she's slicing your head off with a pair of scissors. He's one of the few who manages to resist trusting her.

"So, I'm taking my chances with the pub bartender application," Tenten concluded, pointing at the list laid on the table, "Your old clothes are already dry so go wear them. Seeing you in my dad's corporate clothes makes me tingle." She rubbed her arm to cease a few goose bumps.

He nodded and sipped some more tequila until she snatched it from him and said something about dying early because of tequila. And there, she got up from her seat and poured all of the tequila down the sink drain.

"Hey," Neji muttered, looking at her from behind, "I suggest you take my advice: Go change pants. And I mean now."

Tenten turned to him and her eyes grew, dropping the empty bottle to crash onto the sink. All she saw on Neji's face was an embarrassed yet still smug smirk. She looked down at her pants and found a morning shocker. Humiliation gripped her by the neck.

"Shit!"

She grabbed the job list and swatted it over her butt to cover the huge mark she had as she ran to the bathroom.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

They parked in front of the pub and stared hard at the front of the place. Aside from the hobo parked up at front with a bag of rugby and a mug of cold coffee at hand, everything else was… flashy (?).

Even if the sun was burning and very much brightening up each corner of the city, the neon lights of the pub were blinking and flashing without hesitation and the talking billboard up on top (with the smiling and moving bottle of Duff) didn't stop screaming, "Hop in and grab a beer!" at least thirty times a minute.

"If they have money for talking billboards, they must pay well." Neji said as he eyed the annoying dancing bottle of beer on the billboard.

Tenten didn't bother to nod in agreement but she couldn't agree more. She unbuckled herself from her front seat and pushed her door open. Neji followed and they slowly entered the pub, hearing the loud blues playing through the wood.

The hobo smirked toothlessly at Tenten and got no reaction from her since she was too overwhelmed by the song that played in the pub, 'The Way You Look Tonight', since she very much liked it. Seeing the hobo's stare at Tenten, Neji eyed the man suspiciously and glared at him bloodily.

"I'll stay outside." Neji told her, still glaring at the hobo, "Come out and tell me all about it."

She simply nodded at him and walked deeper into the pub.

Looking around, Tenten saw that the pub seemed to be so full. Each table had at least two people occupying it. The music from the speakers and the belching the drunkards did through the karaoke machine collided and hurt her ears too much.

She walked to the bartender, ignoring the perverted stares of the other men present, and greeted her, "Uh, hey. I'm… I heard there's a job opening here." Tenten gulped a little as the bartender eyed her with her sharp cerulean peeps.

"Yeah," the woman bartender answered, turning to Tenten with the bottle of vodka she held, "I'm Ino Yamanaka. I run the place. Saw my ad, huh? I just want you to answer a form, try on the uniform to see if you look good in it, answer a few questions from me and I start paying you 9 dollars an hour. Deal?"

It sounded fair, indeed. Tenten nodded and looked on as Ino approached a rather lanky man nearby donning a stiff ponytail, whispered something to him and soon, he walked back into the kitchen.

Ino walked to Tenten from behind the counter, making her slim, black heels make noises as she did. Playing with the chilled bottle of vodka she had, she started bombarding Tenten with questions on her experience, reasons in taking the job, her sexuality and finally, she asked Tenten to fix her a Bloody Mary.

Obviously, Tenten ended up making a cup of thin root beer with too much sugar.

"Gawd, what am I going to do with a bitch who can't even fix me a decent martini? I guess you'll make a good mop girl or you can be in charge of the karaoke machine." Ino said, still flipping the bottle of vodka around, "But I already have sixteen mop girls. And ten karaoke people."

Hearing this, Tenten was sure she wouldn't even be able to get to the part where she tries the uniform on. Something that's worst than getting fired on your first day is getting fired before your first day.

Ino waved at Tenten with her two fingers mockingly and went back to whipping up the cocktail she started with earlier. Tenten decided to hang her head low and tell Neji all about it. But then, she heard a few whistles.

"Hey, beautiful!"

"Whoa! Nice ass there, little girl!"

"Come here and you can be my bitch!"

"Haha! Good one, Ed! Come 'ere, ya chick!"

Boisterous laughter followed and Tenten felt a vein pop again. It has always been something she hated. Men who disrespected her. Her temper suddenly runs out and her blood rises and boils. It's usually the reason why she gets fired, but this was another case.

She sharply turned to the right to find half-drunk and rather built men pointing at her and whistling some more. Tenten bit her lip and wanted to scream at them… so she did.

"Shut up, you fuckers!" she threatened with a fist and a glare that pierced through them, "Don't make me kick your shitty asses down your throats!"

They simply laughed louder with that.

And that was when she lunged at them, scratching like a cat and punching along with them a la Rocky. Her kicks swept through them, leaving bruises all over and making herself prone to their hits. Despite the pain she felt through her body, she kept aiming at them.

"Oh, shit." Neji muttered to himself when he heard the commotion from inside the pub. The first thing he though of was Tenten. She might get involved in it. The second thought that came was: Tenten must've started it.

Quickly, forgetting the hobo he was reprimanding without a word, he ran through the door and looked around for her. When he found her on the floor again, getting pounded up by five able-bodied and shameless men. Without much thought, Neji muttered a few swears, took out his gun and let out a shot, barely missing one of the men.

Everything and everyone froze, even Ino and Tenten. Neji eyed the thugs one by one and yelled, "Leave her alone, bullshits." Compared to Neji, the men were bigger and probably stronger. Hearing and seeing Neji through her beaten up state, Tenten gasped softly.

Soon, they were walking towards him to beat him up next. And when one grabbed for him, Neji proceeded to twist the man's wrist and sent him landing onto the floor with a swing, stuck in an arm lock. As the quickly defeated man screamed, another tried to whack Neji on the head.

Neji tried to dodge fully, but his shoulder got a part of the force, sending numbness through his arm. Seeing the other men, Neji kept his arm lock on the pinned man and ran his leg round to pull the other standing men down. As they fell with loud thuds, everyone else was just there to watch.

With a lot of effort and grunting, Neji tried his best in lifting the pinned man over him so he could make him land on one of the other guys. And when he had done so, he swears he heard the back of his head snap. Gawd, that wasn't good.

Two men were there, groaning with the pummels, and Neji had to deal with three more. He kept his stance and when he saw the other three men run to him to fight some more, a scream came by, "Oi! Stop that, you bastards, will ya?!"

Everyone turned to the woman in the frilly mini skirt and black tank top standing on the counter with a bottle of whisky in one hand.

"Ino…" her assistant tugged on her skirt, as if telling her not to attract any attention. But she nudged at him, ignoring his plea and screamed some more, "You five fuck shits get out of my pub now! Or so help me, I'm going to call the police _and _rip your throats out!"

It sure convinced them, but when one tried to get her, she threw the bottle of alcohol at him and hit him on the head. Blood and whisky both spilled and he was knocked out. Ino eyed the others and found them walking out in defeat.

Once that was over, Ino looked down at her finger and shrieked in horror. "Oh my gawd!" she exclaimed, next to tears, "I broke a nail, Shika!"

Her assistant, Shikamaru, rolled his eyes and watched her sob. He climbed onto the counter and carried her down, bridal style. When they were finally down, Shikamaru looked at her nail and told her comforting words, like "It's alright." or "I'll get you a new set of nail polish later, if you like."

As for Neji, he plainly looked at the girl that had a punched eye, bleeding lip and black-and-blue arms. Her breathing was hastened and she looked at Neji as if she had just seen a ghost. She looked away and tried to pull herself up, but failed with her now frail legs.

Seeing this, Neji rolled his eyes and walked to her. He crouched to her and asked, "Don't you think before acting?"

Still, she had her gaze away and even didn't dare ask for help in getting up. Without hesitation, Neji took out his white handkerchief then wrapped it around a glass cut down her right arm. She winced a little when he brought her up to help her walk out and into the car.

Shame filled her eyes and Neji had pity and slight irritation in his. Since he couldn't move her so much since she was too beaten up and covered in wounds and bruises, he made her hold onto his back and wrap her arms around his neck from behind. Then, he stood up, supporting her thighs with his circled arms and carrying her a la Piggyback.

When Neji kicked the door open to leave, a hand stopped him as it grew a grip on his arm. He turned and found Ino, smirking at him with her full and glossy lips. She held up a piece of paper that had 'Application Form' on the top. She folded it five times and stuffed it into his back pocket.

"When she gets better," Ino began, pointing at the now asleep Tenten on his back, "Make her fill that in. Then pass by and she'll fit the uniform. She can be a good bodyguard. I'll pay her 10 dollars an hour." And with that, Neji nodded and smiled.

But Ino then took out a pen and wrote seven numbers on Neji's wrist. As Neji arched his brow in question, Ino cheerily said, winking, "Call me."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"You are such a bitch, looking for trouble like that. Did you see how helpless you were?"

"Well… they were pissing me…"

"Look, if you want someone whacked or something, tell me. I'll have my apprentices come over ASAP and whack them with baseball bats with nails."

"That's not going to be necessary…"

"So stop getting yourself hurt," He said as he pulled another stray piece of glass from her shin, "I know you're moody today for womanly reasons, but you don't have to take it that far. Don't you have self-control?"

Tenten cringed when he applied more disinfectant on the slice as they sat on the couch. She clutched her stuffed teddy bear to ease the pain. She nipped her lip as Neji cleaned it. She said, "It's something that always happens to me. I start fights a lot… especially in situations similar to what happened earlier."

Hearing this, Neji made a small grin and chuckled softly. He took another look at the rather long slash down her wrist. It was the worst she got since it's still bleeding and Neji has been treating it for hours.

"You're pretty strange." Neji admittedly said, wrapping her slashed wrist with gauze, "If anyone looked at you, they'd think you're a pretty, harmless and maybe innocent wuss. But at one point, you can turn into a kick-ass bitch. Have you always been that way?"

"Since kindergarten. I always fought people… specifically guys who disrespected me or something. I'm not a feminist, but I can't stand the fact that they can actually get away with looking at us in inhumane and sickening ways… any time…"

"I see." It was all Neji could say, "So why haven't you beaten _me _up?"

Tenten's eyes grew and she suddenly snapped at him with an enraged expression, "Have you disrespected me in any way, perverted or not, in these past few days without my knowing?"

"No, it's not that." Neji defended, blushing a little, "I thought you suspect me of doing so when I'm actually not. So… there."

Hearing this, Tenten relaxed her features and shrugged, saying, "Well, you haven't peered up my skirt or something so I have no reason to punch you or anything, right?"

Neji simply looked away and didn't answer.

He stood up and gazed at her in all those bandages and bruises. Even with all that, she looked so adorable and maybe even charming. Neji shook his head slowly and told her, "By the way, can I make a suggestion?"

Her eyes looked up at him and waited for what he had to say. Then, Neji finally asked, "Do you think if you had another boarder here who actually paid rent, you'd get the needed amount quicker?"

Tenten arched her brows and muttered, "You want someone else to live in our house?"

She quickly made her eyes grow wide and she repeated with a slight correction, "Uh, you want someone else to live in _my _house?"

Neji plainly raised his brows in reply. It wasn't something she had thought of before, but it was also something that she had to reconsider. If the boarder ever by chance knows Eagle Eye as a mafia boss, both of them will be kicked to jail without much bail.

Still, that most probably won't happen if the boarder is a friend, right?

"Meh, I'll think about it, then." Tenten said, getting off the couch. She stretched a little and turned to the clock to get a peek at the time. It was only 1:09 p.m., surprisingly, and she can stand not having lunch, anyway. Turning to Neji, she told him shyly, "Wanna go to the mall?"

His eyes grew, not expecting that out of her, "What the hell for?" Neji asked her, walking towards the glass door leading to the pocket garden to spend his afternoon there since he's not even allowed past the living room without her around.

Tenten eyed him up and down and said it straight, "Look, you had nothing packed for this 'stay', right? And you have to wash those clothes you're wearing by the end of the day unless you wanna really reek. I don't want to see you in my bathrobe or my dad's clothes. Not again." She timidly smiled.

Hearing her words, Neji gave her a mildly annoyed look and grunted, "Gawd, is that the only problem we have in this household that has something to do with clothes? You, missy, had to change pants earlier, you know. I already washed the couch cushions thrice already while you were sleeping."

Once again, she turned red and went to check her ass. When she found no mess _and a new set of pants on_, she gasped loudly then shot Neji a disgusted look, "H-How… Oh my gawd… No way! You shit, how'd I get myself in these pants?"

As she looks down at the pair of pants she was wearing, she tried to remember what she had on a few hours ago. She remembers that she had denim slim jeans on. _Now_, she was wearing orange beach shorts. And she doesn't remember changing her pants after this morning.

Again, she shot him a shocked and wondering yet very much revolted expression as he shrugged and said, "How you got into those shorts doesn't matter. Your jeans were wet, so, technically, you _had _to change, right?"

"You didn't… did you?!"

"I what?"

"D-Did you…?"

"I can't understand incomplete sentence fragments which are somehow grammatically incorrect, Tenten…"

"Did _you _get _me _in these shorts? Did you? While I was sleeping after that rumble in the pub?"

"I told you: You were wet."

"Oh my gawd, you did?!"

A blush formed on his face, "Gawd damn it, Tenten, it's no big deal…"

"It damn fucking is!" She pointed at him with an accusing stare, "If _you _were the one who changed my pants while I was sleeping, I'm going to kill you!"

"Well, what if I told you that you did on your own like you were sleep walking, huh?"

"No, wait, rephrase and recap!" Tenten snapped back, realizing something, "When I asked you if you changed my pants for me, you simply said I was wet. And you even said that it wasn't a big deal. So… My fucking gawd, you DID change my pants for me! Shit!"

Neji simply rolled his eyes and grumbled at her, "Man, bitch, it's not like you're the first one who got her pants changed by…"

Both of them froze at the incomplete statement. He gagged a little and told her, "Erase that. Please. Forget I said that, damn it. You didn't hear me say that."

"You are a really, really sick man!" Tenten yelled at him as he looked away in embarrassment, "So you're saying that you have changed _other girls' pants_, too?! Oh my gawd, are you a pervert or something? This is totally shitty!"

How Neji wished he could just walk out of this conversation, "I've changed my cousin's diapers. That's all! And besides, I only changed your… pants." Saying the word 'pants' made him shiver, "Nothing else. I didn't see anything past the… uh… underwear." Neji coughed a little with that.

"Gawd forbid that." Tenten said, getting uncomfortable, "But you gotta swear that… you didn't look beyond my underwear, hm? You didn't change my underwear or anything stuck to it or—…"

"Damn it, bitch, don't you get it, already?! I didn't! And I didn't change your fucking pants coz I wanted to, you know!" Neji snapped at her, scratching his head, "I was concerned. I'm supposed to be looking out for you and all, remember? Can't I look out for you in small things, too?"

Tenten shivered and concluded the conversation, "You know what? I don't care anymore. We're going to the mall and I won't even think of this. But if anything funny happens to me, I'm calling the police and I won't care if you and your little group mates kill me. I'll pretend this never happened."

And there, Tenten waited for him to go out into the garden then locked the door. Then, she went up to her room and got dressed for the mall.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Oh, come on. Give me a break."

As Neji walked through the mall's fourth floor, past the stores and stands, he could see Tenten behind him, eyeing him suspiciously with her mouth curved downwards in a scowl. She had two pepper sprays at hand and she has the local police's number in speed dial in her phone.

He once again rolled his eyes at her and muttered, "Tenten, I said I'm not a pervert, a maniac or a rapist. So put the pepper spray back into your bag and maybe you can delete 911 in your phone…"

"I didn't put 911 in, anyway. Want me to?"

"Bitch."

With that, Neji went back to walking and when he saw the store he was looking for, 'Bubble's Corp.', he smiled and told her, "Here's the store I'm looking for. A lot of my clothes were bought here." He found Tenten's jaw dropping and landing onto her heels.

"Gawd, for a mafia boss, I admit that your clothes are super expensive. But the label sounds like crap." She said, nudging him a little.

Neji eyed her with slight irritation and said, "They used to be called 'Pugz', but the company that bought Johnson's baby powder bought them, too. Still, 'Pugz' also sounds shitty, doesn't it?" Tenten giggled and entered the store with him.

But as Tenten turned around to see all the shelves and hangers of cargos and polo shirts, jeans and shirts along with cuffs and sneakers. Tenten admits it in her mind: Neji has fashion sense.

He immediately proceeded to a part of the store that was full of black leather jackets and camouflage pants. He picked out seven pairs of pants after checking their tags to see the sizes and chose seven different shirts along with that. And a new pair of sneakers that was snazzier than the pair he wore.

"Why only seven?" Tenten asked him, pointing at the stack of clothes he had laid onto the counter. Neji simply said, "There are seven days in a week, right?" Tenten rolled her eyes and went back to the same shelf and got five more pairs for him.

He arched a brow and asked, "Do you think I have enough money to pay for all that?"

"Yes, you do."

Okay, so he does.

Simply, he shrugged at her and grumbled, "Meh, whatever. How about you? Want anything around here?"

Tenten wanted to squeal at him about the shiny jewelries she saw and the awesome pink skirt she saw. Also, she wanted to tell him about the adorable wedge shoes she spotted and the jeans that were twice as better as the ones she has at home. But she said…

"Nah. I'm good."

With that, Neji raised his brows at her and paid. But little did he know that Tenten was already whimpering as she saw the clothes get checked and when the cash register made a satisfying sound, she wanted to add more things to the pile but didn't speak up.

"This was really useless, you know." Neji said as he carried his bags of clothes, "I'm betting we're immediately going home once we're out of the mall. Gawd, we wouldn't even grab a churro or something, huh? Man…"

Tenten took her pepper sprays out once again and said, "Well, we _can _go get a churro or two, if you like. But since I'm saving up for 10,000 dollars, it can't be done until you're willing to lose more bucks. Any objections?"

He snorted at her and said, "Is that all that's stopping us from getting a box of churros? Then, I'm paying for it. Really no problem there, right?" He swears he saw her eyes sparkle when she heard this. And all he did was smirk behind everything else.

_Bzzzzz._

"Damn phone."

"What is it, Neji?"

"Got another message. Could be important. Give me a minute."

Neji stopped and put down his bags for a minute to see what the message was all about. And his eyes grew for a minute. When Tenten saw this, she sarcastically guessed, "What now? Would we have to cancel our 'date'?"

After shoving his phone back into his pocket, Neji muttered, "Nothing. My assistant just alerted me on new stocks of… tranquilizers."

Although she was skeptical, she believed him for a minute. And they kept on walking, side by side, on their way to the café that served churros and chocolate, Neji asked Tenten in a somewhat hushed tone, "Say, what do you think of a party?"

She turned to him with a raised brow and questioned, "In our house?"

Neji paused and waited for her to correct herself again. "In _my _house, I mean." She rephrased, turning pink after that.

Shaking his head, Neji explained, "No. I mean, what if I told you that I was invited to a formal party tomorrow night. A grand opening of a hotel, to be precise. Would you want to go? Just so we can check it out?" Clearly, he was hoping she'd agree to go.

She stopped to think for a minute. Why would he be inviting her to a grand opening party? It could be a trap or an ambush. His mafia could be waiting there, ready to shoot her down. Or maybe the whole thing was going to explode and he wants her guts to go kaboom with it…

But still, it made no sense. They needed _her _money. They wouldn't be such fools to try to kill her when they need her. Yet, it'd be a mistake to underestimate this kind of people. But Tenten held her breath and asked, "Tomorrow night? You want to go to a party with me tomorrow night?"

Neji nipped his lip uneasily and mumbled, "Well, yeah. But if you think I'm such a pervert or something, I'm sure you'd say no. So…?"

Tenten giggled shyly when he mentioned it but eventually, her expression looked a little worried and doubtful. Neji didn't need to wait for her answer. "I understand." Neji muttered, trying to smile, "You still can't trust me as much, huh?"

"Sorry about that." Tenten said, rubbing her nape uneasily, "I just can't trust you fully, that's all."

"I know," Neji said, chuckling a little as they looked for a booth in the café, "It's a little hard to believe that a mafia guy can actually not be out to kill you, hm? But that's when I come in: My job is to actually make sure nothing happens to you."

Hearing this, Tenten wanted to reconsider.

They took a seat in a booth isolated (coincidentally) from the others and it even had a window that overlooked the whole city. With all the smog and pollution, it wasn't much to see. Still, Neji can't help but gaze out through the glass and somehow smile when he caught sight of his mafia's mansion in the horizon.

After Tenten ordered for two orders of churros con chocolate, she placed her gaze on the daydreaming Neji. From what she saw, the pale teenager that sat across her, he didn't look terrifying without a gun cocked in his hand or a dagger fastened on his heel (Although, there _might _be one).

Like everyone else, he's just… human. He has problems (including her), he has duties and he has feelings. But it surprised her how a rather smooth and hot (she didn't know what adjective to use) guy like him was… single.

"Are you in a relationship, Screw?"

When Tenten asked him this (and the 'Screw' nickname), he turned his eyes at her but kept his chin on his hand as his face was still positioned before the window. Technically speaking, he was looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

"No." It was his simple reply before going back to staring at the city.

"Why not?"

"It's not a priority, I guess."

"It very much is. And you're an… uh, okay guy." Neji snorted at this but she continued, "And very supportive, too… even to your own 'captive'."

She felt her eyes soften as she looked back at him. He heaved a sigh and explained to her, "I had a girl. Just months ago. I forgot her name. I _forced _myself to forget her name, that is. But the bitch's memory is always coming back to me every now and then."

"What happened to you two?"

Tenten heard Neji swallow hard before muttering, "You're the only one outside the Caged Bird Mafia who'll finally find out, so shut up about this. Swear a code of silence. Or I'll slit your throat despite the consequences."

With that, Tenten clutched her neck and gulped a little before nodding in agreement. And when Neji was ready, he shared, "My ex was killed."

Her eyes widened as he threw his gaze down onto the placemat as he crumpled its bottom right corner with his thumb and forefinger. He bit his lower lip and half-whispered, "She was just an ordinary girl, living a normal life. I met her in a club and I thought she was meant for me…"

He stopped a little before going on as Tenten looked at him compassionately, "We were so happy together. We were both 19 and I still am. We were so ready to get hitched, to start a family, a new race of mafias. But she didn't know that I was a mafia boss. She found out, then…"

Once again, he nipped his lip and went on, "She didn't care. She told me that she loved me and that's all that mattered. But one night, I was driving her home and the Aburames were suddenly tailing me…" Tenten didn't see any shift in his face. He was neither saddened nor angered.

"They shot her." Neji simply said, still looking away, "I didn't realize until she just… fell onto my lap and stopped breathing. Her blood was on my hands when she fell and I couldn't bear to look at her lifeless body. The Aburames stopped the chase and actually halted their fire."

Tenten's expression was soft and comforting as Neji's voice seemed to be so choked as he went on, "I wanted them to shoot me instead. They could've spared her. They were after _me_. I swore that I'd never fall in love again. Whenever I do, I just put innocent lives in danger."

He turned his eyes back at her. Not a tear welled in his eyes. "Sometimes," he finished, "I wish I didn't have to look after you. You may not be my girlfriend, but it'll hurt me so much if you just died all of a sudden one day. I don't know why it would. It just… would."

She smiled at him thinly and she put her gaze on his immobile hand on the table, trembling a little as he reminisced the memory. Images of bright crimson, pink, emerald and crystallite tears flashed before his mind and he clenched his fist. When Tenten saw this, she tried to reach for his fist…

…Maybe if she just held it softly, the pain would be ceased, even for just a second…

"Two orders of churros con chocolate."

The foreign voice of the waiter disturbed the moment as their orders of churros came. As the plates were placed before them, Tenten drew her hand away and shrunk back into her seat a little. Neji grinned back at her and picked up one of his churros and mumbled jokingly, "To churros…"

Tenten did the same and added, "To love…"

"To life…"

Finally, Tenten added, "To us."

And with that, they dipped their fried pastry into the chocolate and ate away. Tenten couldn't help but watch him eat his churros, watching his every movement, every chew, every gulp and every drip of chocolate. Something about this guy somehow interested him. Maybe… it'd be okay to get to know him a little, even if he'll be living in 20 days time…

"That sounds nice." She suddenly said, chewing on a churro.

Neji gave her a confused look as he mumbled while chewing, "What sounds nice?"

Tenten dipped her churro again and whispered shyly, "The party… Hotel opening party, I mean…"

Hearing this, he put his churro down and chuckled, "Are you actually reconsidering going to that crumby party with a pervert? Unless you're actually a push-over, a whore or is already willing to trust me, I'm shocked."

"I'm bringing a friend with me so I feel safe."

"A friend? Who?"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Are you serious? So, let me get this straight: I get to go to a classy 5-star hotel's grand opening party with you and your boyfriend—…"

"_Acquaintance, _bastard— Ouch! Shit! Why'd you kick me for, Tenten?"

"—And I can stay in your house as long as I want to as long as I can pay 300 dollars weekly?"

"You heard me, Lee. Screw and I have already agreed on it."

Lee stood before Neji and Tenten in front of his apartment. With sparkling and eager eyes, Lee jumped into the air and yelled, "Oh, wow, you're a great friend, Tenten! Oh, and you're boyfriend's okay, I guess…"

"_Acquaintance_…" Neji snapped, biting his lip as he glared at Tenten's ecstatic friend. Lee ignored that and gave Tenten a hug.

Lee almost cried, "Thank you so much!" he exclaimed, smiling at Tenten, "Now, I can finally get out of this filthy apartment _and _curse my landlady without getting kicked out and regretting it!"

Immediately, Lee went back in, screamed, "Lazy, smelly, old hag!" and ran back out with three suitcases, as if he had known this was going to happen all along. "Let's go!" he said, running into Tenten's car.

Neji growled at Tenten, "I didn't have this at mind."

Tenten smirked at him with her arms folded, "You said a boarder will help me earn money faster, right?" She eyed Neji with a sinister smile before pinching his side and joking, "Oh, come on, I'll ask him to respect your privacy. He's sleeping in the guest room and you're still outside."

And there, she walked into the car and sat on the driver's seat while Neji tailed behind.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Thank you so much for letting me do this, Tenten." Lee said, hopping onto the guest bed in his green pajamas, "I appreciate it so much!"

Tenten just nodded and answered, "I'm just happy to help a friend. I'm making breakfast at eight so wake up early."

Lee just nodded and fell back onto the comfy mattress, pulling onto the duvet. Immediately, he was snoring. He must've been worn out completely. With that, Tenten turned his light off and went off.

"Breakfast?" Neji snorted as he stood outside in boxers and a plain white shirt, "You didn't make breakfast when _I _was new here."

Tenten eyed him sharply and snapped, "Lee's a guest here. You're a pest. An exterminator doesn't feed a rat cheesecake."

Neji hit his fist onto his chest and grumbled an audible "Ouch".

With that, Tenten led Neji out into the garden and locked the door without a 'Good Night', like always. Tired, she climbed up the stairs in her flowing nightgown and rushed to the bathroom for one last change. When she entered the bathroom, she found a little box and a big one beside it with a note.

'_Twenty,_

_You were out of these. I knew. Don't ask. I bought some of these coz I knew you'd leave a mess without nothing on. I'm a mafia boss so I know how to do a lot of things without you knowing. And don't worry. I respect your privacy and I only know about this kind of thing from my cousins. I swear. Night._

_Oh, and I hope you like the one in the bigger box. It's a gift. No refunds or returns. No occasion. It's a gift... just because. :)_

_Screw.'_

She turned to see the the little box's label…

Tampons.

And what was inside the bigger box? The skirt she was eyeing enviosuly in the store 'Pugz' earlier.

"Gawd, that bastard. Never fails to amaze and disgust me all at the same time."

Still, he's a pretty sweet bastard.

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**Kankuro: I lost 50 bucks.**


	6. Day Four: Half Past Six & Uchiha

**All of my stories got deleted. Oh my gawd. Not the ones I already posted, though. It's the files and documents saved in my computer's Microsoft Word program that are stories for fan fiction dot net… **_**That's **_**what got deleted. I am mourning. –sobs-**

**Kankuro: Well, it was pretty stupid to do such a thing.**

**Me: The computer was slowing down and I was kinda absent-minded, so I went and right-clicked everything and deleted it. Plus, I also cleaned out the Recycle Bin. I was so stupid.**

**Kankuro: Absent-minded indeed.**

**Me: Meh. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope it's going to be fine.**

**This chapter's suspense questions: **

**Why did Neji invite Tenten to the hotel party? What happens know that Lee's going with them? Will Lee and Neji get along? How much has Tenten earned out of the 10,000 dollars she needs? When will she start working for Ino? Is the hotel party related to the Aburames? Which side is Hanabi on, anyway? Who's Neji's oh-so-slick apprentice, anyway?**

**Find out soon.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

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Half-past six in the morning…

"_When I woke up, I smelled shit. Cat shit."_

Neji couldn't get over the fact that he was awakened by the stench of poop seeping into his little tent out in Tenten's garden. He realized that it was too early for sunrise, but he was sure he was already wide-awake. Cat poop can do a lot to your senses.

Here he was in the 24-hours open convenience store near Tenten's mansion, sipping iced coffee at six in the morning as he looked back at the messy pieces of papers he had, smeared with charcoal, chalk and chocolate (He was responsible for the chocolate part), staple together faultily.

He eyed the store's entrance with keenness. But every now and then, he glanced back at the papers he had, flipping them over whenever he wanted. Soon, a distinct person in a jacket with the hood over his head and sunglasses came in. When he did, Neji raised his brows at the individual.

The person acknowledged him, raising his brows at him, too. The stranger went to the rack of after-coffee mints and bought herself a cup of hot, black coffee. Then, he approached Neji's table and took a seat across him.

"Got the plans settled, Rose Pierce?" Neji muttered to his acquaintance before taking another sip of his coffee.

The hooded spy nodded and took off the sunglasses she wore. Biting her pink lips, Rose Pierce sighed, "Of course I have the plans settled. Underestimating me, again, Eagle?" She smirked and pointed at the drawings Neji had, "Nice drawings, by the way." She commented.

Looking at the architectural sketches he had, Neji chuckled and said, "I had my apprentice do this. It's the exterior of the hotel on all perspectives, including the top view. I also have the blue prints of the interior, from the lower basement to the roof deck. I also have the sewer track."

Rose Pierce, when she heard this, giggled and said, "How impressive. When can I get an apprentice as good as yours?"

"My apprentice is the best in the mafia. No one beats my apprentice, alright."

With this, Rose Pierce frowned, took a sip of her coffee before asking Neji, "Are you bringing your little captive with you tonight? Your mafia will kill you if she gets harmed or whatever, right?"

Neji simply shrugged and said, "I'm sure I won't get her into anything, swear. Besides, this thing I'm doing is for that bitch."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." Rose Pierce mumbled, tapping on the table, "Need to remind me over and over again, sometimes. Coz I'm just into this for the revenge, you know." She smiled and added, "And will I ever be part of the Caged Bird Mafia?"

Neji snorted and explained, "You become a part of it if you're a Hyuga. Unless you're married to any of the men in the mafia, you'll never be part of the mafia. You know that, Rose."

"Yeah, I know," she said, opposing a little, "But if I know your mafia's weaknesses, details and organization codes, you have no choice but to let me in, right?" She seemed so clever.

With that, Neji nodded and simply answered back, "Which is why I didn't let you inside the headquarters. I'm not an idiot. Besides, the only ones who know of this hotel thing are my apprentice and I. No one else. So, technically, you know nothing."

She pouted and murmured, "Well, then marry me."

Rolling his eyes, Neji grumbled in annoyance, "You are such a flirt, Rose. Really. I hate flirts, you know."

Hearing his statement, Rose Pierce shrunk back again and took another sip of her coffee. She swallowed lightly before continuing, "I have the codes and security bases in here." She gave her little Blackberry a tap as she went on, "I'm sure you'll need it."

"Not really." Neji replied, shaking his head, "I already have my procedures taken care of and carefully planned out. But just to be on the safe side, I'm going to need a copy. Mind sending it to my phone, Rose?" He took out his cellphone and gave her his phone number.

"I have the security unlocking codes. It'll come in handy if you want to turn alarms off." She explained, pressing buttons on her Blackberry, "And from what I heard, they set up maximum security in the master's bedroom. That'll be tricky."

Neji only nodded as she went on, "There are guards at the South East entrance and at the North West path. All guests are restricted there, but if you tranquilize them or at least make them immobile, you can slip through. Although, I don't think we'll be using those entrances."

She grabbed for one of Neji's sketches, specifically the one with the target room's front door on it. Quickly, Rose Pierce pointed at the front door's molding and bottom frame, explaining, "There are no alarm detections attached there, so plan a break in from there." Indeed, she knew too much.

"Security cameras are swarming everywhere," she said, holding a finger up, "Switch the lens enhancer and the two-headed blue wire with the connection wire then snip the main wire right after. The picture will freeze and any activity won't be captured."

The document transfer went on and when all was done, Rose Pierce went back to drinking the rest of her coffee. As the hollow sipping of air came out of Neji's straw, he shook the plastic cup before putting it down onto the table and concluding, "Wish me luck tonight."

Rose smirked sinisterly and replied, "You'll need it."

Neji stood from his seat and went towards the door to leave, but Rose Pierce added before he left, "By the way, how's everything with you and your little girl, Tenten? Any intimacy?" She snickered jokingly as she mentioned this.

Hearing this, he turned to her and said, "Nah. And I plan to keep it that way, Sakura."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

'_Twenty,_

_Went out for coffee. I remember you saying that rats don't get cheesecake. Hope you and your boyfriend make out over breakfast._

_XO Screw._

_P.S._

_Smells like shit here. Not me, I swear.'_

It was the first thing Tenten saw when she went down from the second floor. On the glass door's surface, the message was written with a black marker. Clearly, Neji left it for her. But if Lee saw it, the results would be horrifying.

Immediately, Tenten grabbed a bucket of soapy water and a scrubber, then started brushing off the words. But when she was about to rub off the 'XO Screw', she knew she had blushed a little. XO, after all, meant 'Hug and Kiss' while XOXO meant 'Hugs and Kisses'.

When she was done, she returned the cleaning materials into the broom closet and turned the stove on. It wasn't like her to cook, actually, but it'd be so embarrassing in front of Lee if she promised breakfast and ends up not preparing any.

Grabbing a pan, she placed it over the fire and poured a little oil onto the hot surface. She proceeded to the fridge and took out three eggs, one for her and two for Lee. But before closing the door, she gave the egg tray another look. After shrugging, she took two more for Neji.

She cracked all five eggs and once the oil started popping about, she took the spatula and monitored the egg's bottoms every now and then. Soon, she transferred all of the fried eggs onto a glass plate.

Then, she grabbed a box of waffle mix from the kitchen cabinet and concocted the batter. And when she had done so, she poured the batter into the waffle maker, filling all four spaces. Finally, she pulled down the cover and left the kitchen, promising to come back in ten minutes, more or less.

Climbing the stairs, Tenten walked towards the guest room to check up on Lee. But just along the hallway, she could already hear the faint sound of the YMCA's theme song from his room.

Hesitantly, she knocked on his door and said, "Lee? You awake?"

Soon, she grabbed for the knob and turned it while she pushed against the door with her arm. And when she opened the door and saw what he was doing, she couldn't help but drop her jaw.

"Good morning, Tenten!" Lee greeted as he did a few jumping jacks, "I'm doing my morning exercise! Want to join me? I practice all of my basic physical skills: balance, power, cardiovascular capacity, flexibility, agility, coordination, speed, muscular endurance and—"

Tenten shook her head, blushing in embarrassment. She stood uneasily by the door, staring at Lee when she tried not to. Indeed, his exercise attire was very fit and it hugged him in the wrong places down below.

Before she knew it, Lee threw his hands onto the floor and lifted his legs above his head in a headstand. And he started walking around the room in that position. "See, Tenten?" he said as he groaned a little, "I can do this! You must learn it, too!"

"Oh, n-no need for that!" Tenten stammered, shaking her head, "I just wanted to tell you that breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes so come down by then, okay?" Seriously, Lee's ass was almost brushed against her face.

Lee nodded and answered, "Thank you very much, Tenten! I shall!" He hopped off the headstand and asked, "By the way, did you see Twinkle-Top?"

Tenten's eyes grew, "Twinkle-Top?" she exclaimed, "Who's Twinkle-Top?"

With that, Lee dropped onto the floor with a thud and started doing push-ups as he said, "Twinkle-Top is my cat. She's orange and white striped and her eyes are light green. If you ask me, she reminds me of Sakura-Chan. I forgot to tell you that I brought her along. I made her sleep outside."

"Outside?!" she yelled, surprised, "You made the cat sleep in the pocket garden?!"

With that, Lee nodded and said, "Indeed. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you. Don't worry, Twinkle-Top won't get lost. She knows her way around the whole city, count on it!" And when he said this, he kept a confident grin on.

"_I'm not thinking of your cat, damn it," _Tenten thought as she rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her, _"Screw wrote something about smelling shit outside. Either your kitten pooped on my flower garden or inside his tent."_

And once she was downstairs, she unplugged the waffle maker and took out the crunchy, criss-crossed waffles and placed them on three separate plates, one for her, one for Neji and two for Lee (Lee always has two of each since he has a huge appetite).

With that, she transferred all of the silverware, plates and food onto the dining table and even placed the syrup and butter there. Before she could go back to the kitchen to make toast, she heard a scream.

"Stupid cat! Let go of my leg! Ow! That is _too _high! Let go!"

Obviously, it was Neji. So, she went to the glass door and gave him a grave look as she placed her hands on her hips. She saw him tiptoeing through her picket fence with a few pieces of paper at hand with a cat with its claws embedded onto his cargo pants.

He held onto one of the metal bars of the fence as he tried to shake the cat off of his limb. And when he saw Tenten laughing at him from behind the glass, he threw her an annoyed expression and an enraged glare. When he had managed to hop off of the fence and onto the grass, the cat finally let go of him.

Neji walked to the glass door and when he was finally in, Tenten mentioned, "Like Twinkle-Top? He's really adorable, ne?" And with that, she couldn't help but laugh again.

Annoyed, Neji rubbed his shin and mumbled, "Gawd, that cat. I'm assuming it's your boyfriend's."

Hearing this, Tenten shot him an angered glower before stating, "Where have you been, anyway? Went to Starbucks or something? I hope you still have appetite for breakfast." She folded her arms against her chest as he took a seat on the sofa.

"I went to the convenience store across." Neji honestly said, "Didn't you read my note on the door? It was pretty big."

"Of course I saw it! And I never thought that you'd take the rat-exterminator-cheesecake thing seriously!"

"Well, I did, anyway. And I think I've stuffed myself with enough caffeine to make myself full."

She bit her lip and said, "Oh, come on, Neji. I made breakfast for the three of us already. The waffles will go to waste."

Neji shrugged and suggested with sarcasm in his eyes, "I'm sure your little darling would love those waffles."

Tenten kicked his shin out of irritation and growled, "Damn it, you don't have to be so immature, Screw. Just take one waffle and I'll be happy, believe me." Hearing this, Neji rolled his eyes and walked to his side of the dining table.

He grabbed his waffle and ate it without much of a care. As long as it went past his mouth, through his teeth, down his esophagus and into his stomach, it didn't matter much. But after a while, he turned to Tenten and asked, "Do you have any more of these?"

"Why?"

"I kinda liked them."

"Gawd, and you refused them earlier. Sit and I'll make more."

With that, Neji pulled his chair and sat on the table, before a porcelain plate with a fried egg on it and an empty glass beside it. He heaved a sigh and unconsciously smiled. _"Man, fine, so this _is _kinda like staying in my Mom's house. Only somehow better."_

Hastily, Tenten rushed back with a pitcher of orange juice and poured some into his glass and into hers. After that, she took a seat across Neji and smiled back at him, saying, "Uh, Lee's doing his morning exercises so maybe he'll take a while."

Neji simply raised his brows in acknowledgement and leaned back onto his chair, relaxing a little with the papers still at hand.

Without much of an intention, Tenten questioned him, "D-Do you have anything to wear to the party tonight?"

After a few seconds of thinking, he chuckled and asked with a shy manner, "Would you mind if I used one of your Dad's suits?" Of course, she giggled before nodding and allowing him to.

"How about you?" Neji added, "Got a gown?"

"Two."

"Only?"

"I'm not one to own ten."

"My cousin has twenty."

"Who? Hinata?"

"Hanabi."

"Oh, the cute little girl, huh?"

"Not exactly cute. Demanding and pissing, maybe."

"You're such a mean cousin, you know that." Tenten said, joking a little.

He simply raised his brows again and suddenly, he said, "Back in the café with the churros and all yesterday, I never got to ask you the question I wanted to throw at you. Mind if I ask now?"

"Well, I don't know if I can answer it, but okay." Tenten prepared herself at what the question was going to be. Whatever it was, she was in the mood to answer anything for now. He only had to be grateful.

Neji looked at her a little timidly before blurting out, "How does it feel to be really in love and be happy with someone, huh?"

Somehow, it surprised Tenten that he was asking about love. She thought since he swore never to fall in love ever again, he wouldn't be asking of such things. But it turned out that she was wrong, somehow. Still, she grinned diffidently as she mumbled, "I don't know."

"Haven't you ever fallen?"

"Never, I guess."

"Rephrase, then: Have you ever fallen in love with someone who didn't seem to like you back?"

"I still don't know." she admitted, "My parents always told me that studies, duty and roles came first before everything. Love, to them, was superficial. I wasn't shocked to hear them say such things since their marriage was, in fact, arranged."

"Well, that smarts."

"I know," she said, sighing, "They always fight, my Mom and Dad. It still gets me thinking on how they made me if they never liked each other. When my grandparents, their parents, died, they signed for annulment ASAP. I was so small back then, I didn't know what was going on."

All Neji did was nod as she kept on sharing. She continued, "My father took me after they fought over my custody. I was three then. Whenever I asked my Dad about my Mom and where or who she is, he keeps on saying that I've got none. But when I got older, I just… found out."

"Anyway," she went on, "I thought my parents really, _really_, hated each other to the core. But, one night, I saw my Dad in his bedroom, sitting in the darkness. He was holding Mom's bathrobe near to his face and I swore I saw him crying. He really missed her, in truth."

"It turns out that through all those years together, he started to fall in love with her," Tenten remarked, smiling without much reason, "It was such a sad story. When my Dad died, my Mom was there in his funeral, crying her heart out." But her words were suddenly choked.

"Dad thought Mom didn't care and Mom thought Dad never loved her" She added, "when, honestly, they have always loved each other. And they never knew of how much they were always in love. And because of this, Dad told me that marriage isn't something worth doing."

Neji nodded and mouthed, "I believe in that."

"I don't." Tenten opposed, looking at him with shining eyes, "I like the idea of marriage, commitment… It's all really nice to hear and the thought of having someone always there for you is so light in the heart. I just hope that I don't end up like my parents, that's all."

He chuckled and said, "I don't want to end up like my parents, either."

"Yeah? What's their story?"

"It's pretty simple. My Dad liked my Mom. My Mom liked my Dad. They ran the mafia together and did an awesome job. Then, the Aburames killed my Mom. End of story. My Dad's still living, though, but he's… really old."

Tenten snickered at the remark and cocked a brow as she asked him, "Have you seen how your Mom looked like?"

"All of us in my family almost looked alike. She was the only one who was different, since only true-blue Hyugas have Byakugan. Obviously, she wasn't a Hyuga before she got hitched to my Dad. My cousins and I got the Byakugan eyes, though. My mom had lavender eyes. Real beauties. Must be why I've got a tinge of lavender in my eyes."

With the statement, Tenten leaned towards Neji and stared hard at his eyes before concluding, "Oh my gawd, you _do _have lavender in your eyes."

Neji laughed a little before saying, "So, I guess we both have the same weird goal."

"What goal?"

"Not to end up like our parents."

"Definitely! I want to get married to someone I actually love!"

"And I'm not getting married at all." Neji said, smirking. Tenten gave him a look that said 'I doubt it'. But all he did was gaze back at her and add, "I mean, come on. Girls, marriage, babies… not really my thing."

Tenten chuckled at what Neji said and finally, she stood from her seat and excused herself, saying, "I think the waffles are ready. I'll go get them."

As Tenten neared the kitchen, Lee came running down the stairs in a polo shirt and slacks with a briefcase. He also had a camera wrung around his neck. "Lee! Come on, breakfast is served!" Tenten invited with a cheerful smile.

But, Lee shook his head and spoke in a rush, "I'm really sorry, Tenten, but my boss called me up and told me that there's a riot down Westside Street! He wants me to take a few pictures and to write a report on it immediately! I'm so sorry. I have to go! Bye!"

And with that, he ran through the door in a hurry, leaving Tenten with her mouth ajar.

Seeing this, Neji jokingly yelled back to Lee, "Oi! You forgot to kiss your wife goodbye!"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Half-past six in the evening…

"Where's your boyfriend? We'll be late, you know."

"Lee said he wouldn't be late. He never is!"

"Well, guess what? _Now_, he is!"

"Give him three more minutes. I'm sure he's just stuck in traffic or something…"

"Can't we just leave him?"

"No! He'll hate me!"

"Tenten, he's paying rent in your house! If he hates you, it'll be _his _loss!"

"Gawd, fine, fine! I'll send him a text message telling him that we'll go ahead of him."

In her carnation pink halter gown (with the slit cut too high at the right), Tenten glared back at Neji as he stood in his shirt-tie-and-slacks combo. But she admits that she took a look at Neji before anything else.

He had his long, ebony, silk hair tied in a loose ponytail with only a few strands touching his smooth face. The tie was accented since he wore only a white polo shirt and everything he had on was clearly her Dad's. Her Dad had style.

After shaking her head to snap some sense into her, she took out her phone and called Lee, telling him to follow them to the party when he can. It turned out that he was still in the riot down Westside Street.

"Even if we go ahead," Tenten told Neji once she was off the phone, "We'll still arrive late. The riot Lee told us of this morning is still there. The streets are probably filled with heavy traffic at this rate."

Hearing this, Neji grumbled, "Then, we can use your motorcycle. I know you have one in the garage."

"I haven't used that in years!"

"Pfft. So?"

And with that, he went out of the front door and proceeded to her garage. He lifted the garage door up and entered. Past Tenten's car and a small, five-wheeled bicycle, Neji saw a motorcycle, all dusty, like he said. He rubbed the metal and left some grime on his hand as he said, "Shall we?"

"You can't be serious." She said, slightly against this as she shook her head, "I hope you know how to drive this thing. I kinda forgot, I admit."

"This is a piece of cake." He bragged, holding his hand out as he asked for the keys from Tenten, "Trust me on this."

Still, Tenten was pretty hesitant. If Neji crashes somewhere, both of them could die or end up in the hospital. She'd rather drive and kill herself than have him lead her to her death. So, she shook her head and growled,

"No, _I'm _driving."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Shit! Shit! Turn left!"

"Shut up! I know when to turn left so shut the hell up!"

"Watch out!"

"My gawd!"

"Oh, yeah? You know when to turn, Tenten? You barely missed that car!"

"Well, if you weren't bothering me about turning left, I wouldn't be so stressed! So shut up!"

As he wrapped his arms around her waist, he huffed behind her, making his breath tickle her nape. She shivered a little with that but kept her eyes on the road. With a helmet on, she felt her head almost snap a little with the weight of the helmet. Neji told her to wear it so she'll be fine and secure.

"The hotel's at 32 Green Kelp Street." Neji told her, directing her through the traffic and skimming past the cars and trucks, "If you see a fancy, new hotel with flashy lights, limos outside and a huge statue of a bastard by a fountain, that's the place."

Tenten shot him a weird look when she heard the word 'bastard'.

They rode past the taxis and vans, Tenten's hem held by Neji from behind. Since this was so, her legs were peeking out in full view and sometimes, Neji fails to remind her to turn or dodge a pedestrian since he had his eyes on her legs.

But every now and then, he'd blink and bite his lip to stop staring at her.

His grip on her rolled up, trailing gown's hem tightened as he felt his adrenaline heighten. Honestly, Tenten was somehow a reckless driver with her motorcycle. He wishes he could just push her forward a little, grab the handles and do the driving with her on his lap…

Of course, she'd slap him before he could.

"Is that it, Screw?" Tenten asked as she turned her gaze on a mansion-like and very sophisticated hotel nearby. When she felt Neji nod behind her, she turned to the sidewalk and parked the motorcycle. She took her helmet off and shook her head to loosen her hair up. Neji stared back as she did.

After another snapping of some sense into his head, Neji instructed her, "Okay, since I'm wanted as you know very well, you are to address me as Masashi Kishimoto—"

"Gawd, what kind of name is that?"

"Well, fine, make up a name, then. I bet you can't come up with a better one, _Twenty_."

She rolled her eyes at him and growled, "How about _Screw_, huh? Mr. Screw. Not bad, don't you think?"

"Oh, come on! Can't you cooperate with this? I mean, _I _brought you to the party and the least you can do is help me not get caught or something. This is pissing enough on its own…"

"Honey?"

"…Say what?"

Tenten cocked a brow and said, "What if I called you with a pet name? A fake one, at that. I could call you Honey. I could call you _Sweetie Poopsy Pie_. Or I could call you Twinkle-Top, like the damn cat. What do you think?"

"We stick to one pet name only, then." He growled, eyeing her with a humiliated expression and an irritated glare, "Honey sounds painless."

"Honey it is."

And with that, they agreed on it and started to make their way to the hotel entrance. Neji took out the printed out invites (Credit to Neji's apprentice, once again) and gave it to the guard up at front. Once they were inside, Tenten couldn't help but gasp.

"This is a hotel?!" she squeaked, "My gawd, it looks like Buckingham Palace." Her gaze was thrown everywhere and she tried not to stare back at the diamond chandelier in the center of the ceiling (She eventually did and her eyes hurt for a minute).

The place was pretty crowded, so they locked arms and walked around as they turned everywhere. The buffet was at the left, piled with caviar, fondues and pastrami mini sandwiches (Oh La La) and the desert tray had nothing but assorted éclairs and pastries in it.

To the right, there was what seemed to be half of an orchestra, playing Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 at what seemed to be 5 notes per second. Either the musicians were in a hurry to get home or the conductor had diarrhea and he needs to go to the bathroom ASAP.

Of course, the center of the hall wasn't occupied since it was the dance floor. Clearly, no one was dancing. So everyone stuck around like sardines at the sides of the hall. Neji grabbed a glass of champagne and seeing this, Tenten tried to grab a glass from the passing waiter, but she dropped it.

Someone slipped on the spilt beverage and fell over, falling onto the broken glass. Paramedics were called.

Neji and Tenten exchanged glances, backed away slowly and eventually, they ran to the other side of the hall. In the end, Neji handed Tenten his champagne glass, instead.

"Who's hosting this party, anyway?" Tenten questioned as she drank some of the champagne. She finished it with one gulp and got another from a passing waiter. But Neji seemed to be so busy, turning to every direction as if in search of something.

Once Tenten had stepped on his foot to grab is attention, he explained, "The Uchiha Brothers are the ones hosting the party. Itachi owns the place but his little brother, Sasuke, will get it in the end because Itachi's moving out of the city within the month to open another hotel."

"So whose statue is outside?"

"Sasuke's."

Tenten saw Neji's brow cock a little at a certain direction and, all of a sudden, he let go of her and mumbled, "I'll be back. Contact my phone if you're lost or something." And with that, he squeezed through the other guests and left her alone.

She gaped back at Neji, who disappeared into the crowd of glamorous women and dressed-up men in tuxedos. "H-Honey!" she yelled, feeling quite dismayed and somehow lost without his arm around hers. She bit her lip and grumbled swears under her breath.

"_Gawd, fine, be that way." _She thought bitterly, _"I'll call you when I want to go home, anyway. I'll enjoy the night by myself for now and I'll wait for Lee." _And with that, she turned around with a swift gesture and with that, she bumped onto someone, spilling wine on the man's black coat.

Her eyes grew and she shrieked in an apologetic voice, "Oh my gawd! I am _so _sorry, sir! Oh my gawd! Really, I'm so sorry!"

The raven-haired gentleman smirked and answered without much distress, "Hey, it's nothing, really. Nothing wrong with a little spilt wine." With that, he took out a handkerchief from his coat's pocket and started wiping the almost invisible stain on his coat.

Tenten uneasily stood before him, somehow embarrassed and shy. He turned again to her and said, "There. Now, it's like nothing happened, right?"

She simply nodded and blushed as the man eyed her with much interest. "Your name, ma'am?" he politely said, slightly tilting his head to give off a nice but hot guy effect. Tenten only sheepishly smiled and answered after a few seconds and after looking around agitatedly.

"Honored to meet you." The man said, holding his hand out to her, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha, co-owner of this hotel…

Mind if I dance with you?"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

After he squeezed through every person present, Neji finally reached the kitchen's swinging door. Upon seeing the swinging doors to be a few steps away, Neji took the tie he had on and started to fold it in a number of ways, straining as he bumped into everyone.

After three failed attempts, Neji ended up with a bow tie, dully improvised through folding. He tucked his polo shirt's collar in and with his tiepin, he secured the bow tie just below his neck. And with a quick movement, Neji unrolled his sleeves and neatened his attire.

In two minutes, Neji ended up looking like any other waiter.

With that, he pushed through the large, loose doors and entered the hotel's kitchen. The steam and warmth of the flames around the kitchen burst in his face and as he passed though the kitchen crew, panicking and rushing, he looked around in search of someone.

By the pastry chefs, he finally found the chef who had her pink strands on a beat bun. He tapped her shoulder and almost surprised her, nearly making her drop the tray of pastries she held.

"Oh, you're here." She mumbled, handing the tray to another chef, "Come with me."

Rose Pierce took the uniform off, untying it from behind as they ran through the kitchen, on their way to the side kitchen exit where no one can notice them. She dropped the whole chef uniform, including the hat, and led Neji out of the hot kitchen into the deserted lobby west of the hotel.

"The target room is on the 59th floor." She told him as she stripped the white chef top she had on to expose a portion of her black dress, "The room number's 5901. You'll have to go alone, though. I have to stay here and monitor the two brothers. Do you mind?"

"Not at all." Neji replied as she handed him his molar transmitter. Once he had that on his tooth, Neji asked, "How am I going to get up there?"

Rose straightened out her pencil skirt and explained, "You can only use the elevator unless you want to be suspected of suspicions. The one you'll have to take is at the other side of this lobby. Once you're there outside the elevator, unscrew the metal base of the buttons and switch light green to black."

Neji simply nodded as he tugged on his locks to tighten his ponytail. He fastened the thin pouch he had onto his belt and took of his bow tie with a quick rip. He stretched a little and added, "When do I contact you again?"

"Once you've reached the 58th floor, get off the lift. Then, wait for further instructions, okay?" she clarified, fixing her molar transmitter.

"Aside from helping me out on this, can you do me another favor, Rose?"

Rose's emerald eyes sparkled a little as she whispered, "What is it?"

Before walking off, he said, "Look after Tenten."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"One more martini, please… Like the one I had… pretty please?"

Tenten was red all over and she, obviously, had too much alcohol for the night. She sat beside Sasuke Uchiha, giggling to herself as she held up a goblet of red wine. Sasuke smirked at her in amusement as he corrected her, "You were drinking cognac, dear."

"Cognac?" She exclaimed in her drunken voice, "Do you put cognac in martinis, Screw? Really? How adorable. Haha!"

She wrapped her arms around herself as she chuckled and mumbled to herself, "Gin tasted pretty better but macadamia nuts make it smell like glue on rye. Why is it so, Screw?" Tenten hiccupped a little, realizing how drunk she already was.

Sasuke arched his brow at her, wondering why she's been calling him 'Screw'. He took her half-empty glass of cognac and said, "Don't you think you've had enough 'martinis', Tenten?" But she grabbed the cup back and downed it.

Something about this turned Sasuke on. Something made him smirk sinisterly.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The metal base of the elevator's button base was screwed off and once Neji had done that, he switched the correct wires. Rose said that, by doing so, the security cameras would be disabled for exactly ten minutes. So, he had ten minutes to reach the 58th floor.

Immediately, after screwing back the metal base, Neji quickly summoned for an elevator shaft. After what seemed to be forever, the lift finally arrived, opening its doors for him.

_8 minutes… Damn._

He got into the elevator shaft and pressed the button with 58 written on it. As the elevator rose through the floors, Neji was impatiently tapping his foot.

For him, everything was too slow. Through all those floors, the time seemed to be so quick.

_7 ½ minutes…_

Unfortunately, on the 50th floor, everything stopped.

He fell onto the elevator's floor, losing his balance when the elevator suddenly halted. He heard a distinct beeping sound inside the metal walls. After a turn, Neji found the red emergency light flashing. From what he saw, the security must've noticed the ten-minute disable and is taking immediate action…

Screw Uchiha for being rich enough to hire such high security.

Panicking a little, Neji looked around to find any way to get out before his now seven-minute slip through runs out or before the guards find him. After a failed attempt on pulling the doors apart, he jumped inside the shaft, pushing the screen on the top of the shaft.

Once he managed to push the screen cover off after what seemed to be his fifteenth shove, he reached for the opening and soon, he managed to pull himself out of the elevator and into the dark and narrow elevator path.

_5 minutes…_

"Shit." Neji muttered as he gazed upwards at the long way up. Without much thought, he grabbed the rope that controls the elevator's flow and started climbing in the effort to reach the 58th floor. If his ten-minute disable wears off while he's climbing, there are the advantages and disadvantages.

One advantage is when the disable wears off, the elevator will zoom till the 58th floor. He can jump back into the shaft and end up in the 58th floor in the end. Still, if that _does _happen, the police might be just waiting for him on that floor. Despite this, he _had _to take advantage of the facts.

He felt his grip loosening as his palms suffered from rope burn. He grunted as he tried to make his way up to speed his 'mission' up.

_Less than 4 minutes…_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.o.O.o.O**

The guard with the blue tie and the wireless earpiece jolted in surprise when a message came through. After a quick review of what he was told, he sent the same message to the other guards and he made his way to Mr. Uchiha right away.

Itachi was mingling with a group of women nearby when Kisame walked up to him and whispered the message to his ear. Upon hearing this, Itachi told Kisame in a murmur, "Send the chief guards. They can handle it."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_Two minutes…_

Neji held on to the rope, feeling himself slip a little every now and then. Before him was the firmly closed elevator doors that led to the 58th floor corridor. He needed to open those doors and get in, but he heard the cocking of guns and the buzzing of radios.

Like he predicted, they're waiting for him. And from the beeping he heard, they're fixing the disabling process. Which means, instead of two minutes, Neji has two seconds…

_Chink._

_Wrrr…_

"Aw, fuck!" Neji exclaimed as the rope he held on to brought him higher, bringing him above the 58th floor, past the 59th and bumping onto the 60th. He rubbed his head as he hit the ceiling and as the rope went through the wheelie, he changed ropes and now, he was hurriedly being pulled down.

And as the elevator stopped on the 58th floor, he grabbed for the shaft and sat there on top of the elevator. He heard the doors open and there were footsteps inside the metal box. Neji would be lucky if the guards didn't inspect the ceiling and find the screen cover off. He was lucky.

After a brisk examination, the guards found nothing suspicious. Eventually, they exited the elevator and closed the doors. When Neji was sure that they were gone, he breathed a sigh of relief. But as the elevator started to lower to the ground floor, Neji acted quickly.

He slid into the elevator through the small opening and pressed '58' again, making the elevator pause then lift itself upwards again. After a cheerful chime, the doors opened for him. First, he looked around carefully then stepped out.

With that, Neji touched his molar transmitter with his tongue and whispered, "Hey, Rose, I'm on the 58th floor. What now?"

Rose heard Neji call to her and said as she walked around in the party hall, "Oh my gawd, you're fine? Thank goodness. I heard the chief guards were sent to the 58th to monitor the disturbance. I thought you were going to get caught for sure!"

"Well, I'm here." Neji smugly replied, "So, what do I do next?"

"Really simple, actually." Rose answered as she chewed on an oatmeal cookie, slightly disturbing the transition, "See that door in front of the elevator? That's a fire exit. Go up two flights of stairs and you end up in the 59th floor. Once you're there, talk to me."

"_What is this, a video game with Level One and Two or something?" _He thought as he went through the fire exit, _"I think Final Fantasy was more thrilling than this, you know."_

Once he was in the 59th floor's corridor, Rose spoke up again, "Now, do you see a security camera to your right idiotically facing the other way?"

When Neji acknowledged this, Rose went on, "The corridor's pretty narrow, right? And since this is so, I'm sure you can plant your left foot on the wall on the left and the same with your right. Do that behind the camera, reach for it and remember what I told you about camera disabling this morning."

Hearing this, Neji planted his feet onto the walls of either side of the hallway. He pulled himself high enough to reach the back of the camera. When he had taken off the metal cover, he drew out his mini screwdriver and a small pair of scissors.

"Switch the lens enhancer and the two-headed blue wire with the connection wire then snip the main wire right after." Neji repeated to himself as he did so discreetly. And he knew that he was done when a faint beep came out of the camera. But then, Neji fell onto the carpet when his foot slipped a little.

After groaning in pain and rubbing his backside, he moaned, "Okay, Rose, I've got the camera disabled. Now what?"

But there was no reply.

Neji's eyes widened as he called to her once again, "Rose? Hey! Rose! Answer back, damn you!" He stuck his finger into his mouth so he could check if the molar transmitter was still there…

It was gone.

"Shit." Neji mumbled as he stood up and realized that the transmitter must've fallen off or maybe he swallowed it accidentally. Either way, he was now alone in this. Rose can't hear anything but the disgusting sounds in his stomach, but he can still hear Rose's end.

Once he was back on track, Neji stretched his back a little to ease some of the aching and walking down the hall, he looked at the many hotel doors that exposed their own numbers in gold against oak wood. Damn Uchiha, so damn rich.

"5903, 5902… There. 5901." He whispered to himself as he searched for the target room. Finally, he was before it. He remembers how Rose told him of how the door's bottom frame or molding didn't have any attached alarms, so he snapped off his tool pouch and started looking for the right tools.

Searching through the pouch, he found what looked like a pizza cutter (he snickered) and what seemed to be an over-sized flat-headed screwdriver. Resisting to chuckle at the somehow uncommon tools Rose Pierce equipped him with, he started tearing at the lower frame of the door.

By doing so, not only will he reduce the risk of tripping a door alarm, he'll also be able to return that back on its original state, making it appear like no robbery or break in was done. He had Rose Pierce to thank for everything.

After chipping some wood off and managing to chunk the bottom molding off, Neji slipped inside through the hole he made through the molding and even returned the molding so anyone passing by won't raise any suspicions.

Inside Sasuke Uchiha's suite, Neji stood in awe. What was supposed to be a suite looked more like a house already. The floor was marble and at the point of the bedroom and living room, only then will the vermilion carpet be spread out. The huge windows that acted as one of the walls had a view of the whole city.

If Neji could, he'd buy the suite. No… wait… He _can_.

When he had stopped gaping back at the whole thing in amazement, Neji went to work immediately. He knew that since he had no key card to turn the lights on or to turn the alarms off, he'd have to careful. If he trips an alarm, he's dead.

He had no interest anything in the suite but the contents of the safe, which was difficult. The safe was in the master's bedroom and, according to Rose, maximum security is applied there. As he recalled this, Neji shrugged. What could it be? Red lasers that you shouldn't touch? Please.

Is this a movie or something?

But when Neji reached the master's bedroom, his jaw almost dropped. Yes, there were laser lines… but it looked like it was a _web _of laser lines. To make things worst, Neji could sense a trace of burned substance, which means the laser lines also inflicts third-degree burns, probably.

He heaved a sigh and with that, he redid his ponytail one more time, making it tighter.

And before he began slipping through the lines, he mumbled, "I shouldn't have worn boxers today."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Tenten had her hand clutching Sasuke's sleeve as she danced along with him. Her feet felt so airy and numb as she swayed around in Sasuke's arms. The chandelier and other lights swirled around in her eyes as she faintly danced around senselessly.

He, on the other hand, kept his grip on her waist as they swerved around to Fur Elise. His smirk never wore off and right now, it was sinister as ever. What he was planning was beyond anyone. Tenten, in fact, was too tipsy to even notice.

"How are you doing?" Sasuke asked her in a refined manner, "You seem rather… uneasy." Indeed, his eyes inspected her up and down.

She lazily hung her arms around him as she grumbled, "Ugh… I am. Do you think I need to sit down or something? I feel like I'm going to hurl…"

"Oh, you don't need to sit down, dear" He told her, holding her tighter and nearer to him, "I think you need to… lie down."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Ow."

Neji jolted a little when he felt a slight burning sensation near his nape, tingling him everywhere. When he grabbed his slick locks of hair to inspect it, he found it about two inches shorter and very ruggedly cut. On the floor, some strands of his hair lay there.

"Gawd, that's going to take a while to grow back." He said, flipping his hair again to get past the lines again. Luckily, a touch of the laser lines wouldn't trip an alarm. Still, third-degree burns are still good reasons to avoid the laser lines.

Now halfway through the web, he took another deep breath before locking his eyes on Uchiha's walk-in closet, where Sasuke keeps his safe. And after focusing again, Neji gracefully bent lower to cross under a laser. Once bent, he curved his abdomen a little to miss a certain laser just below him.

Cringing a little, he went past it and into another portion of the tangled up and overlapping lasers. Right now, his arms were shaking and his legs felt stiff. If his muscles give up now, he'll fall on the lines below him a burn to a crisp.

All this for Tenten? Damn. What did _this _have to do with Tenten, exactly?

_Fzzt._

"Agh!"

Another laser line was touched, but this time, his sleeve was torn and his arm was sliced and burned. Looking down at the red and now stinging burn, he bit his lip and thought, _"Alright, just a few more slips and I'll be done. Gawd… I can do this…"_

Slowly letting his foot through a few lasers, he shook a little as he couldn't hold on any longer. Somehow, he was getting weaker and almost losing his balance and concentration. Right now, all of the lines seem to gather before his eyes and blind him. His sweat dripped down his face.

And when he felt like he was going to give up and just breathe out, letting himself go, the laser lines disappeared…

…and there were footsteps by the front door.

"_Shit!" _Neji thought in a panic after he let his arms loose and after falling onto the carpet, tired and sweaty. As the intruder walked deeper into the suite, he acted fast and ran for the closet, stepped inside and shut himself inside.

Since the closet was the kinds that had what seemed to be blinds on the surface, he could see what was happening outside of the closet without getting caught. All he had to do was shut up for a while and wait until he or she is gone.

But when Neji saw who it was, he froze.

_"Tenten? Fuck no."_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I made this chapter _super _long. Haha. I was in the mood to write, anyway.**

**Suspense Questions!**

**Why did Neji break into Sasuke's suite? What is in the safe that Neji wants? And what does it have to do with Tenten? AND WHY IS TENTEN IN SASUKE'S SUITE, DAMN IT?! How come Sakura's (aka Rose Pierce) is flirting with Neji? Will Itachi or Sasuke catch Neji? How come Rose Pierce (aka Sakura) is helping Neji out of revenge? What did it mean? And when will Lee arrive?**

**Find out soon. –dan dan daaaaan-**


	7. Day Four to Five: Handcuffed

**I really shouldn't make a long A/N if you want me to go on with the chapter ASAP.**

**Kankuro: Yeah! So shut up and let the story go on!**

**Me: But before that, I need to say something…**

**Kankuro: Oh, gawd…**

**Me: I give credit to ByE ByE RobIn. There's a portion of this chapter that she gave to me (Just the idea, though).**

**Kankuro: Who the hell is she?**

**Me: She's my friend and she's a NejiTen genius, as she self-proclaimed (Damn it, Anto, you **_**did **_**self-proclaim it. I never agreed on it. Jk.)**

**Kankuro: Oh, gawd, more rabid girls. Who is she fan girling?**

**Me: Itachi Uchiha.**

**Itachi: -runs past, screaming-**

**ByE ByE RobIn: -runs after him- Come here, Itachi! I just want to rub your abs!**

**Me: -at ByE ByE RobIn- Oi! You owe me 50 bucks for letting you and Itachi in this A/N!**

**Note: NO LEMON IS IN THIS CHAPTER. THE RATING OF T-M APPLIES.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and ByE ByE RobIn **_**is **_**my friend.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Tenten? Fuck no."_

Through the thin gaps between the wood, Neji could see the two intruders that disturbed his break-in. With a drunken expression and alcohol-drenched league, Tenten stumbled into the room, clutching a half-empty glass of red wine. Behind her was Sasuke Uchiha, minus the black coat, donning a devilish grin.

Inside the closet, Neji clenched his fists until his nails somehow pricked his palms, _"Damn her."_ He bitterly thought, sharply darting his eyes at Tenten, _"How could she have managed to get drunk? I told Rose to look after her. The bitch…"_

Sasuke turned only one lamp on, giving the whole room a dim and mysterious illumination all throughout. Uneasily, Tenten threw herself onto the bed, comfortably absorbing the cool air trapped in the duvet. Unconsciously, she spilled the wine onto her dress.

She also grumbled swears under her breath, softly ranting about a splitting headache and painful churn in her abdomen. Indeed, the mix of the different alcoholic drinks is getting to her.

"Feeling any better?" The slick Uchiha questioned, nearing the tipsy girl and eyeing her with a hungry glare.

As a reply, she shook her head with her brows knitted together. Tenten snapped in a murmur, "Better?" she growled, "How can I feel better at this rate, huh?" And with that, she clutched her head again.

Concealed, Neji shook his head, seeing how pathetic and somehow indifferent she is. It seems that she's moody when it's her time of the month _and _when she's sickeningly drunk…

The results must be horrible if when the two conditions collide… like now.

Hearing her statement, Sasuke snickered and softly rubbed the back of his hand against her rosy cheek. When his cold skin touched her warm face, a tingle ran down her spine, somehow awakening her senses a little.

"Don't worry," Sasuke whispered smugly as he took his place beside her, "You'll feel better soon." His breath felt uncomfortable by her ear and with that, Sasuke tucked his face down her neck, just above her collarbone.

Simultaneously, Neji and Tenten's eyes grew. His ivory eyes shot up in surprise and anger while hers widened as a response to the sudden act. A quick and tight gasp felt dry down Neji's throat as he watched Sasuke nuzzle the dumbstruck girl.

Seeing where this is going, Tenten weakly pushed Sasuke's shoulders, moaning, "H-Hey… What the fuck are you doing, eh? Get off…"

But, clearly, Sasuke ignored this and even started leaving seductive kisses down her slender neck, making her giggle every now and then. Still, Tenten didn't like any of this. It was just the same as disrespecting her… only in the next level.

"Fuck, I said get off!" Tenten exclaimed, giving Sasuke another useless shove. This time, Sasuke pressed his body against hers, making her fall lower onto the bed and finally pinning her down. And very soon, Tenten could feel Sasuke's hands touching her below.

"Hey!" she screamed, angry and frustrated, somewhat dismayed, "Get off of me, Uchiha! Get off! Shit!"

Yet, every scream and threat didn't get through Sasuke. He went on nipping her earlobe and even gave smooth licks near her jaw, but Tenten stayed firm and did nothing but try to get him away from her.

She had no plans of losing her virginity to a bastard.

"_What the hell are you doing just staring at them fuck in front of you?!" _Neji thought, talking to himself, _"Get out there and save the poor girl!"_

Neji's consciousness went back to him after the trauma of seeing Uchiha try to rip Tenten's straps off with his teeth. His hand quickly grabbed for the handle but, before he could pull on the closet door and act, he reconsidered it.

"_I can't get caught!" _he opposed to his own decision, _"If I get caught, I'll never steal Uchiha's belongings! I'll let Twenty down. Damn, can't let that happen. And the mafia will kill me if the police gets me." _So, he drew his hand back hesitantly.

But now, he could actually see Tenten trying to kick the man off of her. Her shrieks sent chills down his spine, but to his relief, Sasuke didn't manage to get anything off of her. So, he thought of a Plan B: The tranquilizer gun.

Rose Pierce lent him a pocket-sized tranquilizer that he was supposed to use to stun the guards. Luckily, he never used it. There, he thrust his hand into his pocket and started looking for the mini gun with his sense of touch. In the dark closet, he was almost blind.

He grabbed for the metal, miniature equipment in his pocket and took them out, hoping one of them would be his tranquilizer gun. Even if he was rushing, he had to be careful. If the tranquilizer dart pricks him, instead, he'll be the one ending up knocked out for the next 24 hours.

The tiny tools fell from his hand and panic crawled all over him. He blindly searched for the tranquilizer gun until…

_Slap._

Hearing the forceful smack, Neji lifted his gaze up to see what had happened. And there, his jaw dropped at the scene he saw…

Before him, beyond the closet door, he found Tenten and Sasuke now standing and off the bed. Tenten shot Sasuke a disgusted and very enraged glare while Sasuke held his sore, hurting cheek.

Tenten had slapped him.

"Look," Tenten growled, slightly groggy but irritated, "Just because _I'm _half-drunk and _you're _not doesn't mean that I'm going to actually let you do this _shit _to me!" She gave Sasuke a strong shove as she held out an accusing finger at him.

"Screw _is _right! You _are _a bastard!" Tenten shouted at him in a loud yet drunken voice. Before her, Sasuke showed a rather shocked air as she went on, "I. Am. A. Virgin. And I don't plan on giving that up for a bullshit like _you_! How could you have the right mind to—"

But when Tenten wasn't even finished reprimanding him and before she can even realize it, she was tackled back onto the bed with Sasuke pinning her down by pressing his body against hers and his arms pulled down hers. Grunting, Tenten tried to push him off of her once again.

Despite the objections of Tenten, Sasuke held a straight yet lusted face on.

"_Aw, that is it. I'm murdering Uchiha if it's the last thing I'll do." _Neji thought, encouraging himself to act faster for Tenten's sake. His hands ran through the carpeted floor as he searched for his tranquilizer gun, which he assumed that he had dropped.

And when Tenten's shrieks were starting to grow louder, a certain series of sounds stopped everything.

_Shick._

_Fpok._

_Thud._

Hearing this, Neji put his gaze back onto the pair on the bed and found Uchiha, unconscious on Tenten. The girl, on the other hand, was stunned and all she knew was Sasuke suddenly snapped into unconsciousness, burying his face onto her chest as his head dropped.

Revolted, Tenten pushed his mouth away from her chest and tried to get him off of her once again. But, soon, Rose Pierce walked discreetly into the room, holding up a mini tranquilizer gun. Tenten arched her brow at her and asked, "Am I missing something?"

It turned out that the quick _shick _was the sound of the tranquilizer dart traveling through the air from the gun. The _fpok _was the sound of the dart getting embedded into the target's skin. Obviously, the _thud _is the sound of the victim, falling and turning floppy and unconscious.

Seeing that it was safe to go out now, Neji opened the closet door and let some of the light in. He found his mini tranquilizer gun by his feet and picked it up, arming himself. Luckily, Tenten didn't sense his presence.

With her eyes still on Rose Pierce, Tenten demanded unsteadily, "What the fucking hell is going on here? First, a billionaire goes trying to rape me and now a pink-haired woman in a pencil skirt comes in with a toy gun? What the hell is—"

_Shick._

_Fpok._

_Thud._

Tenten's head dropped onto the duvet as her eyes shut as well. Behind her, Neji had his mini tranquilizer gun aimed at her. He managed to tranquilize her, hoping that once she had woken up from her sleep, she'll think it was all a dream.

Seeing this, Rose smirked and looked at Sasuke on Tenten, slightly amused and sickened all at the same time. "Enjoyed watching them making love?" Rose asked Neji as he pocketed his mini tranquilizer gun.

"Not at all." He honestly answered, pushing the dozed man off of the teenage girl, "Besides, Uchiha was just nuzzling her…"

Rose heaved a sigh a dreamer usually did, giving Sasuke a sympathetic look, "Just like how he and I used to."

When Neji heard this, he shot Rose a suspicious glare and questioned, "What do you mean?"

Embarrassed, Rose explained as she tugged on Sasuke, making him lie properly on his bunk, "I work for the spy organization of this city, right? Sasuke used to, too. Against the rules, I fell in love with him. And we were going steady, taking everything to the next level and all."

She tucked Sasuke in, covering him with his duvet, "Then, he took everything I owned. My money, possessions… my house… everything. And I was such a pushover to let it all happen. Then, he dumped me. I couldn't forgive him or myself for letting it all happen."

Neji wasn't that interested as he picked Tenten up, looking at her messy hair and reddened cheeks. Her dress' straps were sliding down her smooth shoulders and Neji had the heart to fix them back so that her top doesn't fall off. He knew better than to take advantage of her at this moment.

"A secret agent's most prized possession is his or her real identity." Rose mentioned, biting her lip, "And he exposed mine. It was such a dishonor."

All Neji did was nod in acknowledgement, hoping Rose didn't realize that he wasn't listening at all.

"The code of the safe is 72787258. If you decode it with letters, it's 'SasuSaku'. _That _was how much we were in love." Rose said, staring back at her now asleep ex. She couldn't help but bite her lip and stroke his cheek lovingly.

Leaving Tenten for a minute, Neji approached the small safe and typed in the code. When the door swung open with a creak, Neji peered inside. Golden jewelry, wads of money, precious belongings and credit cards were in full view. And they were all in his reach.

"Take what we agreed on taking only." Rose warned him, "You only need the ATM card."

Nodding, Neji reached in and took the platinum-colored card that was nearby. He gave it a quick look, seeing how Sasuke Uchiha's name was engrossed into it. And there, he pocketed it without any hesitation.

When he turned to look at Rose Pierce, he found her still gazing back at Sasuke with loving eyes. He knew that it must've been so hard for her to try to hate Sasuke when she still loves him. And after leaving a tender kiss on Sasuke's cold lips, she started her way for the glass window nearby.

"So, how do we make our 'great escape', hm?" Neji asked her, watching her slide her hand down the window's surface. Carefully, Neji brought Tenten into his arms then swung her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He needs to work on that.

After chuckling at the careless way of handling a damsel, Rose Pierce replied, opening the window by grabbing onto the handle after cladding her hand with knitted gloves, "Agent Young Man will take care of it."

_Agent Young Man?_

Once Rose had managed to open the window fully, she gave her watch's face a twist then spoke to it, "Okay, Young Man, we're ready. Lower the copter, will ya? We're here on the 59th floor." She waited for a response and when a faint "Gotcha" was heard, she gazed upwards.

A black helicopter flew nearer to the open window and someone had let the rope ladder down into the room for Rose and Neji to climb. Motioning for Neji to move fast, Rose grabbed onto the thin ladder and got into the helicopter. Soon, Neji followed with Tenten still asleep on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Young Man," Rose said, sitting comfortably at the right side of the back seat, "Hope we didn't disturb you with the riot report."

_Riot Report?_

The copter's pilot turned to them and smiled cheekily, saying, "No, of course not! Anything for my partner. Hey, Eagle Eye. How's Tenten?"

When Neji saw who Agent Young Man was, he couldn't help but gasp softly. "Lee?" Neji exclaimed, almost flabbergasted, "_You're _a secret agent, too? My gawd, am I one of the few people who isn't a spy?"

With that, Lee laughed and adjusted the head phones he had as he stated, "Real funny, Eagle Eye, really. Is Tenten fine?"

Neji looked down at the brown-haired girl he held to who now was limply seated on his lap. Her head hung down, rested on just under his chin wearily as her eyes stayed closed. Neji heaved a sigh and explained, "It's a long story, but she'll be fine."

If anyone sat in front of Neji, they could see Neji, leaning, with Tenten's head tucked under his chin. His arms were wrapped around her securely and protectively, like she'd fall apart if he ever let go. It was a sweet little sight, indeed.

As the copter flew over the city, through the clouds and past the swirling city lights, Rose couldn't help but take a look at the two. Sometimes, she questions Neji's plans on keeping his relationship with Tenten less than acquaintances. From what she sees, his plan isn't going to work out.

He'll probably end up getting steady with her, if they both allow it.

"You like her, don't you?" she asked him all of a sudden, disarming him since he was quickly out of words.

He snapped his head to her, glaring at her with annoyance, "She's an okay girl," Neji admitted, "She pisses me a lot, sometimes and I annoy her in return. I don't hate her and I hope she doesn't hate me. But once these 28 days are over, she'll eventually forget about me."

"How is that so? You've been together for 6 days, more or less, and you look like a couple already."

"We don't. We're just stuck with each other. It's forced, remember?"

"You don't seem to be so forced into it."

"I do. Look at me and see how much I'm suffering."

"Yes, people suffer when they are forced into something. Suffering people seem tired, weary and very dismayed. You, my friend, look enlightened. You don't look like you're suffering… at all. It's like you actually _enjoy _watching over Tenten."

Hearing Rose's 'words of wisdom', Neji couldn't help but chuckle at her statement. Enlightened? What a way to describe the hellish torture of being forced into living with a girl he only knew now. Sakura obviously doesn't understand.

"Okay," Rose said, breaking the silence, "I change my conclusion, then. You don't like her."

"Correct. Very."

"You love her."

"Hell no."

"Why don't you just admit it? Denying whatever's true makes no sense at all."

"I'm not denying anything true. I don't even like the girl as a friend. She's… She's a pain in the ass, if you ask me."

Still, Rose giggled and began in a childish and singsong manner, "Eagle Eye and Tenny sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"How mature, Rose! Very mature!" Neji growled at her, fixing his seat and adjusting Tenten's position as he did, "Besides, I wouldn't even give this girl a peck on the cheek even if my life depended on it!" He clenched his teeth together, irritated at his friend's juvenile attitude.

He turned away from her and threw his gaze at the city below to calm his mind down. Such immature apes always got into his nerves. But Rose snickered and squeaked, "When you were in the closet, I'm sure you wanted to kill Sasuke…"

Sensing the irksome immaturity of the question, he passively rolled his eyes and grumbled, "How can I not want to kill Sasuke back there? He was… hurting her." When he had finished saying this, Neji quivered a little with what he just said.

Disagreeing with the defense of the now blushing mob boss, Rose smirked and remarked, "Face it, Eagle: You wished you were Sasuke back there, didn't you?" Her emerald peeps twinkled as if they could read him like a book.

At this point, Neji's cheeks felt hot and he sensed a prickly feeling run through his skin. Still, he replied coolly, "Of course not." But he threw his gaze away at this, avoiding Rose's somewhat accusing glare.

Although this was so, Neji couldn't help but tighten his coil on the unconscious girl on his lap. Her fragile state made him feel like her guardian, the one responsible for whatever happens to her. Even though she _is _his captive for the next 28 (now 22) days, it's gotten a clearer sense to him tonight.

Remembering how helpless Tenten was in Sasuke's clutches was enough to make Neji nip his lip in restraint.

He should've shot Uchiha when he could.

"The tranquilizer's effects wear off within 24 hours." Rose mentioned, poking her head out of the helicopter to help Lee land the helicopter properly onto the helipad below, "But if I were you, I wouldn't expect a perfectly cheery, little lady in the morning. She'll probably have a hang-over."

Neji simply nodded in reply as he propped Tenten up to get her ready for the descent off the copter. Her head still hangs low as her delicate bangs touched her flushed face, slightly covering her gently shut eyes. It was just something that made Neji absent-mindedly smile at her.

Once the helicopter had landed onto a certain building's roof top, Rose quickly hopped out of the copter, her locks flying about as they slipped from the tight bun she had on due to the wind.

Cautiously, Neji also got off from the helicopter with Tenten, again, swung on his shoulder. Of course, Rose scolded him, saying something about carrying girls and sunflowers. Soon, she managed to make him carry Tenten in a _proper _manner:

Bridal style.

Before the helicopter flew off, Rose waved to Agent Young Man, thanking him in a loud voice to make it audible amid the swerving propeller's noise, "Thank you so much, Young Man! I owe you one!"

Lee simply tossed his head back in acknowledgement, grinning happily down at them, as he called back, "No problem, Rose! See you tomorrow at HQ! Eagle Eye and Tenny, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Bye, guys!"

If Neji had gotten hold of a machine gun, he could've shot Lee down in 3 seconds.

She motioned for Neji to follow her into the building through a few flights of stairs leading downstairs. "We're in the City Hospital," Rose explained in an amused tone, "Funny how this place is also the Biological branch of my organization. We hold Histological experiments, morgue and human experimentations…"

"Morgue and human experimentations?!" Neji reacted, stopping dead in his tracks, "Those kind of experiments are illegal. Don't you guys work for the government? You mean to say that they let you guys run these experiments?"

"They don't let _us_ run them. _They, _themselves, run the experiments."

After getting over that revelation, Neji went back to tailing Rose with Tenten still in his arms.

They went past a few doors, some labeled 'Warning: Radioactive' or 'Unisex Bathroom' or 'Cytological Tests Undergoing'. If Neji knew better, it's like a real-life version of Hannibal Lecter's office.

After countless flights of stairs, they finally reached the ground floor, the hospital's lobby. When Rose and Neji pass any doctors, nurses or even patients, they get the same greeting every time:

"Get well soon."

Once they have gone out of the building, Neji was just relieved to be back on the sidewalk, walking on the cold pavement. Past the rushing cars and pedestrians, this city's nightlife wasn't so exciting. But Neji was just glad that his night's screwed up moments were very much over.

The day ends with him ambling down the damp sidewalk alongside an undercover spy while he carried a knocked out girl in his arms.

Not really an ideal night concluder, but it'll do.

"I just want you to promise something, Eagle." Rose stated as she tried to hail a cab by waving her hands around at the sidewalk's edge, "It'll be for both our sakes, anyway." After a number of failed attempts, she continued, "Don't tell Tenten of what really happened."

When Rose Pierce tried to catch another cab and failed, Neji stepped forward and yelled, "Hey! Taxi!" Miraculously, a taxi _did _halt in front of them. He couldn't help but remember doing the same thing when he was with Tenten on their first day together.

She thought he was a show-off, though.

With that, Rose turned to him, very much impresses, "Nice stunt," she complimented, thinly smiling at him, "Funny how taxi drivers like you, too."

Once inside the cab, Neji sat Tenten beside him, by the window so that her head gently leaned on the car door's chilly glass.

"Anyway," Rose started after giving the driver the address, "You'll have to scratch the truth a little if ever Tenten asks any questions about what happened tonight. She can never know of what happened with Sasuke. And she must never find out that I was involved."

As an answer to the request, Neji nodded in understanding. Seeing Rose just turn away and heave a sigh didn't fail to intrigue Neji. But, still, something made him feel the same kind of pain that brings up the special suggestion.

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

The sudden question was shot at Rose, catching her off guard. Her widened eyes stared back at him as she questioned the statement silently in her head.

"I know how it feels to do things to people or for people" Neji admitted, locking eyes with her, "and in the end of it all, we seem to just disappear because we have to…

…like no one's supposed to know that we exist."

Hearing this, Rose couldn't help but space out then feel tears well in her eyes. She nodded and mumbled, "It's not fair. Once, I saved a whole country. I did a job well done and everyone in that place knew me as their hero. But, it's in the organization's rules to conceal one's identity, so the org erased their memories of what happened… like nothing even happened."

Neji knew how it felt. In the past, if he dealt with anyone with a debt, he'd show up and ask for the money every now and then. But when the debt is paid, he can finally disappear and he may never come back to the person again. He has to. If ever that person needs to talk to him or anyone in the mafia, _they'd _have to find them…

… which is like finding an oatmeal cookie crumb in a plate of pecan cookie crumbs.

Usually, no one succeeds in finding a mafia's absolute location after a debt period. Almost always, a mafia has contact with a very close friend and that only. The rest aren't trusted and sometimes, they blackmail the person just to keep quiet.

And he knew that once Tenten has already paid her debt, he'd disappear, too.

"So… yeah," Rose murmured, wiping the small tears in her eyes, "It hurts."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Eagle Eye and Tenny, sitting in a tree! K-I—"

"Shut up, will you?"

"Eagle Eye and Tenny—"

"Stop it. It's pissing me off… _again_."

"Eagle—"

_Blam!_

"…"

Lee stared hard at the hole in Tenten's wall, inches away from his head. For now, Lee was just happy that Neji was a cross-eyed shooter.

"When I tell you the shut the fuck up, I mean it!" Neji growled, glaring at Lee with his piercing eyes. He pocketed his gun again and snorted at Lee before throwing his gaze back the still Tenten.

Lee breathed again and relaxed as he said, "Alright, I'll keep quiet."

But, Neji didn't even bother to acknowledge the apology. All he did was soften his stare at Tenten. She lies on her bed, still asleep, with Neji beside her, worrying a little.

Ever since they had gotten home, Neji hasn't bothered to change from his attire. Immediately, he rushed Tenten to her room. What he did to her in the room was beyond Lee till now.

From what he sees, Lee discovered that Neji has managed to get Tenten into a comfy, cotton shirt and a pair of loose shorts (When Lee asked him how he got her into them, Neji said it was none of his business). And he was seated there with her, waiting for her to wake up.

"Come on, Neji," Lee said, patting Neji's shoulder, "Rose said the tranquilizer's effects wear off in 24 hours, right? So, maybe she'll be up at 8 tomorrow morning. So, relax and maybe you can—"

"But, I want her to wake up now, the bitch!" Neji snapped at Lee, shoving his hand away, "I splashed water in her face and even tried to shake her awake. Do I also have to try to bang pans by her ear? The stubborn bitch _just won't wake up_!"

Realizing the idiotic desperation of his acquaintance, Lee heaved a discreet and equally heavy sigh and said, "You know, all you can do is wait. It won't take forever." Still, Lee couldn't help but feel sorry for Neji.

For Neji, it felt like it was taking forever. He knew very well that his passing anxiety would lead to nothing in the end. Worrying was a waste of energy, but he couldn't help it. He also had no reason to impatiently rush things.

Lee recalls that when he was down and feeling low, he'd go to the country and tackle turkeys and talk to piebald ponies.

But he was sure that Neji would die before even thinking of doing that.

So, Lee decided to settle for the next best thing: A Magic Trick.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Lee exclaimed, trying to catch Neji's attention, "How about a magic trick to bring your spirits up, huh? Wanna see one? It'll be fun, I promise! I know a few!" Against the mob boss' irritated stance, Lee's voice echoed jumpily.

At this, Neji shot the giddy lad a turbulent scowl and mumbled back, "Honestly, do I look like someone who'd want to see that kind of shit at a time like this?" Before Lee could even answer, Neji went back to watching Tenten snore.

With a good intention, Lee pushed the suggestion, "Which trick would you like to see? Rabbit out of the pants? Levitating hair? Independently dancing chairs?"

"How about disappearing Lee?" Neji sarcastically requested, once again rolling his silver eyes, "Just leave me alone, okay? Stupid bastard…"

Despite this, Lee went on, "I know, I know! How about the handcuff trick, hm? I have a handcuff from the org here in my pocket right now! I don't know why I have it with me, but we can use it!"

"Oi! No! That's the shit that _always _goes wrong!"

"Nonsense!" Lee objected, taking out the handcuffs he had, "I practice this trick everyday! Here, I'll show you a quick demonstration. I'll amaze you…"

Without hesitation, Lee neared Tenten hastily and securely clipped one of the rings around her right wrist and did the same to Neji's left wrist. And on that moment, Neji was impressed by Lee's agility and speed yet shocked at his own underdeveloped reflexes.

"Shit!" Neji exclaimed in fury and panic, "I said I didn't want to participate in that trick! Get it off now!"

He shook his hand to try to slip the handcuff from his wrist, but when he did, Tenten's wrist jiggled, too. With alarm in his eyes, Neji clutched his wrist wrung with the ring and told Lee in an infuriated tone, "Lee, get this off of me! Where's the key?"

"Ah, that's where the magic bit comes in!" Lee said, holding his hand up, "I will _magically _pull the rings off of your wrists and amaze you! Observe." And with that, he grabbed the ring around Neji's wrist and gave it one forceful tug, making Neji yelp in pain.

When he saw this, Lee's features seemed distressed. Again, he gave it another tug and Neji flinched at the wrench. After five more tugs, Lee walked back and mumbled, "I… I can't get it out."

Hearing this, Neji's eyes grew and he shouted at Lee, "Damn you! You said you knew how to do this shit! Get. Me. Out. Of. This. _Now! _Use the key!"

"I can't!" Lee admitted, scratching his head, "Those are the organization's special handcuffs. They're virtually indestructible and a virtual key unlocks it. And… uh, I don't have access to it yet. Funny story, huh?" Beads of sweat ran down his face as he sheepishly grinned at Neji.

And with this, Neji eyed Lee angrily and yelled, "You! Call Rose now and make her take this off!"

"My next meeting with her is tomorrow morning…"

"No! Call her now!"

"I can't!"

"Well, what can you do? Just get this off of our wrists!"

Again, Lee scratched his head and said, "Look, Neji, I'm sorry, but I can only take that off by tomorrow night after meeting with Rose. Are you willing to wait for that?"

"No! I'm getting it off myself!"

But, when Neji got up from his seat, his wrist dragged Tenten off of the bed, making her fall face first onto the bedroom floor. Neji yipped and brought her onto the bed again. And there, he remembered how the handcuffs connect them physically.

This is going to be a long night.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The sun's rays seeped through her window, waking her up. She blinked her eyes repeatedly, opening her eyes in awakening. She yawned a little and stretched her arms above her head. She straightened her body and stared back at the ceiling.

"_What happened last night?" _she thought, _"All I remember last is that I drank too much… then, I fell asleep, maybe."_

Brushing the questions off for now, she breathed in again and felt comfortable to be back home, on her bed. She rolled to the right to get off of her bunk, but got the shock of her life when she came face to face with a sleeping Hyuga.

"Fuck!" she screamed in surprise, almost falling from the bed. She stared hard back at the snoring mob boss on her bed, beside her in a half-open polo shirt and boxers. Her features showed utter disgust and she wanted to puke.

"Oi!" she yelled at him, kicking his shin to wake him up, "Get up!"

Reacting to the screams and force, Neji blinked his eyes open, too, and found Tenten finally awake and drawing away slowly.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?! On my bed?! Beside me?!" she asked him in a series of yells, throwing him a revolted glare. He sat up and yawned plainly, not saying a word. But a blush was across Tenten's face.

The color was drained from her features as she suddenly blurt out, "Oh my gawd… Did we… Last night… Did… we… what… fuck?"

Neji's eyes grew at the perverted thought as Tenten kept on pushing herself away from him. But she had drawn too far and eventually fell off her side of the bunk, bringing Neji with her due to the handcuff's chains.

With a thud and a squeak out of Tenten, the two fell onto the floor, ending up with Neji landing on top of Tenten roughly.

"Oh, shit," Tenten groaned, "How much do you weigh?"

She squirmed under him as she shot questions at him accusingly, "Why are you here? Why'd you sleep beside me? Did we… Well, I'll be straight: _Did we fuck last night? _And why are we_ handcuffed _together?!"

Neji simply sighed and grumbled, "It's a long story."

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**Will Neji manage to go through the day with Tenten handcuffed to him? How will Tenten's first day at work go? Will Sasuke realize that his card is missing? Will Rose and Neji end up together in the end? Will Tenten really forget Neji in the end of this? _And did Neji and Tenten really fuck last night? _(Sorry couldn't help it. :D)**

**Find out soon.**

**This chapter is shorter, so I'm sorry. And ByE ByE RobIn gave me the handcuffed-Neji-and-Tenten idea.**

**ByE ByE RobIn: I rubbed Itachi's abs!**

**By the way, I have previews/sneak peeks of what could happen in the sequel and trequel of this story in my bio! Go check it out!**


	8. Day Five: Trust the Mob Boss?

**Me: -comes in with a cup of Caramel Frappe- Me: -comes in with a cup of Caramel Frappe-**

**Kankuro: -cocks brow- What's with the Frappe?**

**Me: I need a caffeine mix.**

**Kankuro: Are you high?**

**Me: High on caffeine, yes. High on drugs, definitely not.**

**Kankuro: What's with the caffeine mix, then? I thought you vowed not to drink iced coffee again after you stopped growing.**

**Me: I did **_**not **_**stop growing. My growth just… reduced from six centimeters a year to one centimeter a year.**

**Kankuro: Still the same. So, what's with the coffee?**

**Me: I wasn't able to sleep last night. Maybe three hours of sleep only, though. And if I don't drink coffee, I'll fall asleep flat on the laptop.**

**Kankuro: Well, why couldn't you sleep?**

**Me: -smirk- I was thinking of what to write in this chapter. And finally, I got the perfect concept. I'm here to write it down. –grin-**

**Kankuro: … I don't know if I should call you a dedicated writer or a fan fiction freak.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I'm not drinking coffee right now. But, I **_**am **_**sleepy.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Thud._

"Ouch. Well, that hurt."

_Thud._

"Hey, quit it."

_Thud._

"Tenten! Stop pulling on your wrist! I keep getting my head hit, you know!"

"Deal with it! If you didn't get us handcuffed together, we wouldn't be in this shitty situation!"

"I didn't do this! Lee did, damn it!"

"Sure, put the blame on poor, clueless Lee! Now, shut up and let me get dressed!"

Don't know what the hell is going on? Okay, let me explain the scene you are currently witnessing:

Neji leans on the bathroom door, seated on the wooden bedroom door, his hand wedged into the gap between the door and the wall. Red marks were criss-crossed over his wrist's skin since the rings were always sinking deeper into his skin with Tenten tugging on the other end.

Inside the bathroom, seated on the cold, granite bathroom floor, Tenten had her right hand forced to her left, nearer to the door's gap. She's trying to change from her house clothes into decent attire for her first day at work. But, whenever she pulls on her wrist too far, Neji would end up hitting his head against the wall.

Tenten pressed her head against the door behind her, arching her back higher as she tried to get her jeans past her ostrich butt. She grunted a little as she felt the cold surface of the floor touch her bare backside, sending trickles.

The groans she made as she tried to raise her jeans to her hips gave Neji the idea that she was going to take a little longer than expected.

"Hurry up," Neji mumbled, facing the other way like how Tenten instructed him, "I have to dress up, too, you know. I'm still in my underwear."

"I don't consider boxers as underwear." Tenten said as she gave her jeans another tug up her thighs, "They look like beach shorts, only with weird-sounding labels like Calvin Klein."

"Ah, so _your _underwear doesn't have weird labels like Victoria's Secret?"

Hearing this, Tenten's eyes grew and immediately, she turned her eyes onto the tag at the back of her panty, seeing 'Victoria's Secret' written on the tag. Her eyes remained widened as she concluded, _"Oh my gawd, these aren't mine."_

Once she had her pants on, Tenten pulled on the zipper and put on the button. And there, she took her nightshirt off, painstakingly wedging the thin shirt through the ring down her wrist since she can't take it off without getting it past the handcuffs (You can't pull a shirt off with handcuffs on).

She remained on the floor with just her lacey bra on after such a difficult endeavor. The Minnie Mouse design was disturbing, but at least she had some underwear on.

"Don't even think of peeking," Tenten warned Neji, glaring at his hand tucked in the gap, "I've got nothing on top."

When he heard this, a smirk formed in Neji's face. But when he realized this, he bit his lip and snapped at her as he knocked the back of his head against the wall behind him, "How conceited of you to actually think I'd do such a thing." But, in truth, it was tempting.

Before proceeding, Tenten peered through the gap to see if Neji really didn't have his eyes on her. And when she found him with his eyes closed, relaxed, with his back against the door, she sighed in relief and went on, disconnecting the clasp at the back of her bra.

She slid the thin straps down her slender shoulders, pulling the strap on her right arm over her handcuffed hand and through the ring to slip it off and put on a new one in a rush, also having a difficult time with the handcuff on.

But she couldn't manage to clip the clasp since her other hand couldn't be folded to reach the back since the handcuffs linked her with Neji's wrist. Despite this, she tried it.

"Ah, shit!" Neji yelped when Tenten neared her right, handcuffed hand to her back. It pulled Neji's wrist deeper past the gap and into the bathroom, pulling him nearer to the door, "Hey! You pulled your hand too far! Get back here!"

And with that, Neji gave his left wrist a sharp jerk, making Tenten's right wrist suddenly wrench towards the door gap again. She squeaked and growled at him, "Quit it, Neji! I'm trying to put my bra on!"

Due to the wrist yanking they've been doing, Tenten's bra straps were slipping off of her since the clasp hasn't secured the bra onto her. She shoved the straps back onto her shoulders and cupped the laced front nearer to her chest, hoping it won't fall off and expose everything.

Neji couldn't help but turn to the gap and give her an angry glare, "Well, you're killing my wrist! Have you seen the cuts I got on my wrist from these handcuffs?" He saw her also glaring at him through the gap, holding her bra onto her chest.

"Well, cooperate for a little while longer for now!" she demanded, sinking back when she silently realized that Neji actually saw her in jeans and almost nothing on top. She pushed her back against the bathroom door and added, "And stop looking, you pervert!"

Neji's wrist was painfully crushed when she slammed herself onto the door in the effort to close it, causing him to scream.

"Stop that!" Neji growled at her, pulling on his hurting wrist, "You're going to cut my hand off before you finish putting on your shirt!"

"Oh, do something useful and shut up!"

She went back to trying to clip together her bra's clasp, grumbling swears under her breath. Her wrist was still limited and whenever she made her hand reach too far, the metal around her wrist stung her delicate skin.

"_Gawd, I am _not _letting this pervert help me with this," _she thought, almost promising it, _"I'm doing this on my own."_

Once again, she attempted to clip the bra clasp again, but this time, she used her free hand. Of course, it was almost impossible to put on a bra with only one hand and five fingers. After six more useless attempts, she gave up and pulled on her hair as she reconsidered…

"_Gawd, I can't believe I'm going to let this pervert help me with this."_

How ironic.

"Hey, Neji?"

"What now?"

"Help me out here."

"… What can I do?"

Without an answer, Tenten brushed her back nearer to Neji's hand and practically pressed her skin against the tip of his fingers. When Neji traced the details of the clasp, from the metal hooks to the soft material, he exclaimed, "W-What's this?"

She heaved a sigh and muttered, "It's my bra clasp. I need you to work with my hand, okay? Use your hand to hold one end while my other hand tries to hook it with your end. Understood?"

"I'm not a girl, so I can't understand. Why can't I just fix it for you myself?"

"No!" she yelled, wanting to crush his hand again, "I don't want you to see me! Anyway, just hold the left end and I'll do the rest."

Finally understanding even a little of what he had to do, Neji moved his hand over Tenten's bare back, searching for the loose bra end. His fingers ran down her smooth back, feeling her backside unintentionally and eventually reaching too much to the side…

"Hey!" Tenten shrieked, slapping his hand, "That's not funny!"

"What? What did I do?"

Seeing how oblivious Neji was of what he did, Tenten rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Nothing. Just keep looking for your end and once you've found it, hold on to it firmly." She knew her cheeks were flushed as she resisted telling Neji that he had touched the curve of her chest.

"Well, why don't you to tell me to go left, right or something? That'll help."

With that, Tenten simply nodded and monitored Neji's hand as he blindly looked for her clasp with only his sense of touch. Tenten watched over Neji's exploring fingers, hoping he's not actually _enjoying _this.

"Where now?" Neji asked, halting his search.

"A little to the left."

Hearing this, Neji did as he was told, running his hand to the left till Tenten said, "Then, go a little south. Just a few centimeters down."

Smoothly going down her backside, Neji could feel his hormones bubbling about. But he had nipped his lip in self-control, telling himself that if he goes crazy now, the results could get drastic. Men like him could get a little aggressive when given the chance.

Tenten, on the other hand, couldn't help but smile thinly at his actions. If she could, she'd be leisurely giggling as of now because of his ticklish and (she admits it) soothing touch. But if Tenten didn't exactly like any of this, she'd pulverize Neji for becoming too _friendly_.

"Warm… warmer… hot… There! You're on the clasp." Tenten alerted him, telling him to just grab the end and stop touching her for_ both _their sakes_._

Immediately, Neji took hold of the cloth strip that was at his reach. He held it up and asked, "Now what?"

"Hold still." It was all Tenten wanted him to do. She took the other end of her bra and quickly hooked it, ending the series of failed endeavors. Relieved, Tenten smiled and said, "Thanks, Neji. I got it together."

As if in a great rush, Neji drew his hand away and stated, "Good. Now, hurry. I have to put some clothes on, too, you know."

Rolling her eyes at this, Tenten simply grabbed for the simple tee she had chosen earlier. She picked a thin and soft one so it'd be easier to deal with her wrung wrist. When she went out in her jeans and shirt, finally, Neji stood from the floor and said, "Now, I'm dressing up."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"And you said _I _took forever."

"You practically did."

"Well, look at you now! Even when you had your shirt _miraculously _past the handcuffs, you're still suffering! You can't even button your shirt on!"

"You couldn't put your damn bra on with one hand only, so how can I button my shirt with only one hand?"

"I can button my shirt with one hand anytime!"

"You're a woman! Women can talk on the phone and chew gum all at the same time and not sound like David Letterman! Men can't!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

The petty insults keep getting tossed back and forth, from Neji to Tenten and vice versa. Neji was standing in Tenten's bedroom, trying to button his shirt with one of his hands. His handcuffed hand was almost useless since Tenten was fixing her hair and she needed her other hand to do it.

These handcuffs were definitely getting troublesome.

Tugging on her hair to keep them in a bun, Tenten told Neji as she stared back at the mirror, "Well, I'm going to be late for work. I don't care if I have to go there with you practically stuck with me. I need the money, anyway."

Hearing her, Neji made a face and mumbled what she said in an irritated imitation. He attempted to button his shirt again, but to no avail. Slowly, Neji's patience was absolutely running out.

When Neji turned to Tenten, he found her spraying on some hair spray, applying finishing touches. It meant she had no trouble at all while he was practically tormented at the disability to button his shirt up. "That is so unfair," Neji growled at her.

After smoothening out a few stray strands, Tenten heaved a sigh and voluntarily said, "Fine, I'll help. But this is probably the last time."

With that, she walked nearer to him and immediately grabbed for the button near the collar and buttoned it without any trouble. In her mind, she was chuckling at how hilarious it was that a few men can't button their shirts with only one hand… and Hyuga was one of them.

And as she went lower, down his polo shirt, she unintentionally took a peek inside, past the loose material…

Shit. Six pack.

Seeing this, she vaguely licked her lips with a somewhat sly grin. Her brows arched and she felt her hands grow numb as an unfamiliar feeling shot up. But when she had realized, again, what she was thinking, she squeaked in mutiny and quickly finished buttoning his shirt for him.

And when she had done so, she patted her hand onto his chest and said, "See? Done. Now, come on, I don't want to be tardy."

Gawd, it was like a morning for a married couple.

The two went down the stairs, side by side. Lee was rushing everywhere downstairs, stressed as a few of his paperwork flew about and his camera swung around his neck in all directions. "Hi, Tenten! Hello, Neji!" he greeted quickly, "The mayor is coming in two minutes and I'm late! I'll see you later, okay?!"

But, before Lee could even run off, Neji pulled on his collar and grumbled at his ear, quiet enough for Tenten not to hear, "I want you to talk to Rose ASAP about the damned handcuffs. I'm going to die with her nagging down my neck. Got me?"

Lee nodded and curiously asked him, "Say, what did you tell her about the handcuffs, anyway?"

"I told her that you did a magic trick in the party and it went wrong. I told her that she was drunk when it happened, so she can't remember. How much longer do I have to keep _lying _to her?"

"Why? Does it hurt you?"

Seeing Neji mumbling words at Lee with an enraged glare, Tenten hit Neji's back and scolded, "Oi, are you blaming Lee for the handcuff thing again? Please, Neji, that is so annoying! We'll see you tonight, Lee, okay?" And with that, she flashed a huge smile at the press staff.

Plainly, Lee just smiled back and rushed out of the door, off to work.

Neji shot her a pissed off stare as he said, "Whose side are you on? I told you that Lee did the handcuff thing, you know."

But Tenten simply shrugged at him and took her filled-up application form from her drawer. She folded it six times and made it fit in her back pocket. Once that was done, she made her way to the garage with Neji following her.

Tenten passed through the door at Neji's seat and crawled to the driver's seat. She knew how to get in even with the handcuffs bothering the both of them. Again, Tenten is in the driver's seat while Neji's seated right beside her. She was ready to rev up the engine and drive away…

… until she saw the mail man pass by and shove a few envelopes into her mailbox.

"Damn," she mumbled, opening the driver's door, "Mail's here. More bills to pay." She pushed herself out of the car with Neji following through. They both walked towards the mailbox, getting weird looks from passersby due to the odd physical connection they had (the handcuffs, my dears).

She grabbed all of the six envelopes inside the hollow box and skimmed through their labels and gave them to Neji once she had recognized what they were.

"Electricity bill," Tenten mumbled, shifting from bill to bill, "Water bill, laundry bill, broadband bill, a letter for Lee from his mother and… huh?"

Hearing her, Neji cocked a brow and asked her, "What? Got anything new?"

"It's an envelope. It's got my name on it and a strange logo is stamped on the upper right-hand corner."

"Hm. I don't seem to find the logo familiar at all."

"What do you think is it, Neji?"

"A bomb? Kidding…"

Simply, she shrugged with him and ripped it open with her fingers. The fine rip of the envelope's paper resonated in their ears and once Tenten had managed to peer inside at the envelope's content, her eyes widened and a gasp escaped from her throat.

"Money!" she screamed in shock, clutching the envelope firmly as she remained surprised, "Oh my gawd, someone sent me money!"

When she said this, Neji immediately placed his gaze on the wad of money inside the envelope. There was almost a thousand dollars inside, carefully and neatly tied together with a silver ribbon. Tenten was totally speechless.

"Whoa, why would someone give you free money?" Neji exclaimed, counting the bills as Tenten stared back at the bucks, "You can save that for your college tuition! Or you can pay more than what your bills need!"

"Or," Tenten added, "I can hand this to you so I'm down to 9,000 more dollars! Gawd, and these four weeks could end in a snap if I get a thousand dollars everyday! In 10 days, you can go! Oh, gawd, pray that I'll get more of these bucks within the week!"

But when Tenten mentioned it, Neji didn't agree with her. In fact, his lips quickly curved downwards. Still, she didn't realize it since she was too busy squealing as she held on to the money.

Once she was done, she pocketed the money and said, "I'll give you whatever's left of it at the end of the day. I plan on paying _anyone _any amount to get these handcuffs broken apart." And with that, she proceeded to go back to the car with Neji.

They were finally back inside the car and when Tenten turned the key, her car pulsated with life then suddenly wheezed and practically died.

"Shit!" she screamed in frustration, "Oh, come on! What's wrong with the car?!"

"Maybe you don't have gas?" Neji guessed, turning to her.

"Don't be an idiot, Screw! The gas tank is full! See?" Tenten exclaimed, pointing angrily at the gas scale, "Maybe it's an engine problem."

With this, Neji rolled his eyes and said, "Well, we can't stay and fix your car now. You'll definitely be late for work at this rate."

And, as if on cue, the rain poured heavily after that statement. The hard pitter-patter sent Tenten's temper into a nearly inexistent form. Irritated to the next level, she tossed her forehead violently onto the wheel in front of her, making the horn sound off.

"Daaaaaaaamn!"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The two walked through the rain, sharing the same pink gym jacket with the tiny hood forcibly stretched over their heads. Their handcuffed wrists brushed against each other every now and then. And, obviously, they were getting pretty odd looks.

"I told you we should've worn _separate _jackets." He grumbled to her, pinching her side in annoyance.

After she yelped, she snapped back, "Okay, ask yourself, Screw: How can we wear separate jackets if we're _handcuffed _together, huh? Remember how you can't even get one through your wrist without getting me tangled with you and the jacket?!"

"Well," Neji defended, "You could at least pick a masculine-hued one…"

"I'm in a rush! Who cares about masculine colors or feminine colors now?!"

With that, Neji just rolled his eyes in irritation and mumbled inaudible words under his breath. They both quickened their pace as the rain fell harder on them. And with every splash and near slips, Tenten never let go of Neji's hand… as if she unconsciously felt secure with him…

Her steps were light and hurried, and sometimes, she feels like she's just going to fall flat onto the wet pavement. Neji, on the other hand, felt even heavier and sluggish with his long locks getting wetter by the second.

They pushed everyone aside, sometimes leaving the other behind in their haste. But, whenever Neji went ahead of Tenten, she'd give her handcuffed wrist a strong pull, sending him back to her side.

Seriously, their handcuff cuts were getting more painful.

In thirty minutes of tiring running, minor walking and some moments when they nearly get run over by buses, Neji and Tenten finally stood outside the pub, panting and soaking wet (The hobo was staring at Tenten hungrily again. Gross.).

They stepped inside, into the dim bar again, trailing drops of water as they walked across. Nobody minded them, actually, and if anyone did, they'd never realize their state since it was too dark to see anyone's face. Although, you could still where you were going.

Tenten approached Ino, dragging her feet since her jeans felt so cumbersome, and leaned on the smooth counter as she greeted her wearily, "I heard you're taking me in."

Ino, currently in black short shorts and a bolero over her lacey tube (It's either a tube or her underwear), turned to Tenten and replied, "Oh, so you're the new girl who picked a fight the other day. Yeah, I hope you're fine now." She took a bite out of a beef jerky she had at hand and eyed Tenten.

"I'm fine." Tenten told her, feeling embarrassed that she looked horrible on her first day. She felt Neji just behind her, his drenched arm touching hers.

Seeing this, Ino smirked and stated, "I just need the application form I asked you to fill up. Then, I'll give you your first task."

Hearing this, Tenten smiled and said as she shoved her hands into her side and front pockets, "Oh, thank you, Miss. Uh… Wait… I know I have the form here somewhere. I'm sure I brought it. Give me a second…" She went on searching in her front pockets frantically until something seemed to poke her butt.

She squeaked in surprise and swiftly swerved around to see what or who did that, but she just found Neji holding up her folded up (and miraculously not-so wet) application form, saying, "You kept it in your back pocket, remember?" And with that, he handed it to Ino.

Realizing what happened in a split second, Tenten blushed unnoticeably, felt herself shake a little and rub her butt consciously without much reason. _"How embarrassing!" _she screamed in her thoughts, _"Hyuga now knows about my ostrich ass."_

Once Ino got a hold of the form, she skimmed through it and finally instructed them, "The pub now does deliveries for the sake of earning more money. I have three twelve packs of hard beer at the back and I want you to deliver it to 5422 Kaede Street, about twelve blocks away from here. If you pass the playground, you've gone too far."

She wrote the address on a piece of tissue she found nearby and continued, "The order placer is an infamous Kiba Inuzuka, who works for the Inuzuka Gym, obviously. Rings any bells?"

Hearing the familiar name, Tenten arched a brow and said abruptly, "Kiba was my High School Sweetie."

"_High School Sweetie my ass." _Ino thought bitterly as she glared at Tenten and mentioned, "Oh, and I'm not paying your friend here," she pointed at Neji and added, "Unless you want to get paid for doing a few errands, you have to sign your own form."

But, Neji shook his head and answered, "I'll work free of charge."

"Heaven sent, you are. After the first delivery, come back here since you have to do three more. Don't worry, I'm paying you 11 dollars per delivery plus the 10 dollars you earn hourly. You work from 10 to 5, and you have four deliveries today, so you earn…

… at least 124 dollars, I think."

At the amount of money she could earn on her first day, Tenten's eyes gradually grew and her jaw felt like it was going to get unhinged. Seeing this, Neji couldn't laugh too loudly then stop immediately when he was shot with a dangerous look from the brown-locked lady beside him.

"I don't care how you bring the beer bottles to the designated place," Ino said as she fixed herself a martini, "Just make sure nothing gets broken and you send it over within the hour. We have a money-back policy. Now, get out of my face.

Once they got the orders, Tenten tugged on her handcuffed wrist to motion Neji to follow. When he finally did, they entered the back room of the pub and found three packs of beer at the near dead end of the steamy and damp stock room. Tenten picked a case up while Neji picked three up. And there, they left.

"What's with the gun?" Tenten questioned when she saw Neji cock one his guns outside the pub after putting down his case by the pub entrance. He had a snare, most probably.

He tucked the armed gun down his belt and said, "I'll shoot your oh-so adorable High School Sweetie if he touches you."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Damn, damn, damn!"

Black Ivory's heavy fist landed onto her desk as she bit her lip in irritation. She had a gun at hand and there was a chewed-on, unlit cigarette between her pink lips. Her fangs peered from her mouth and the bloody glare in her eyes burned in anger.

"Damn Eagle Eye's apprentice for leaking the poison's antidote!" she screamed, trembling in fury, her finger locked onto the trigger and ready to shoot at anything anytime. Indeed, she is perilous when maddened.

Her sister, Blue Gun Shot merely sat comfortably on the couch nearby inside the room, filing her midnight blue tinted nails. Her hair strands were held back in a tight and high ponytail as she eyed her sister pathetically. But, inside, she was wanted to laugh in her face.

"Stop whining, Nii-chan," Blue Gun Shot stated, "It's pretty pissing and all the shit you keep saying's getting to me…"

_Blam!_

With her patience running thin, Black Ivory sent a bullet flying towards Blue Gun Shot, directly hitting her on the chest and leaving a hole on her new blouse. Blue Gun Shot's reaction hasn't changed at all. For all she knew, Hinata could shoot her all she wants all day. She wears bulletproof vests 24/7.

"Gawd, you need anger-management lessons," Hanabi said, dusting the melted bullet on her chest, "Didn't you know that the poison antidote the apprentice sent was last updated three years ago?"

"So? Do I need to know that, bitch?!" Black Ivory screamed, aiming at her little sister again.

"Well, yeah. You see, _I _modified the poison a few days ago. So, the antidote isn't upgraded enough to _fully _eliminate any traces of the poison."

Hearing this seemed to be great news to Black Ivory. She put her gun down and whispered, "Go on."

With this, Hanabi sighed and went straight to the point, "Even if they've already taken a dose of the antidote, the poison's still in effect. Like I told you, it's slow acting so no suspicions arise. But, the poison's _full _effect is triggered by contact with another poisoned victim."

"Don't make your explanation sound elaborate. Make it simple."

Rolling her eyes, Blue Gun Shot snickered as she finally said, "The poison's full effect will come if Eagle Eye and his captive have contact. The poison's molecules' mix will cause a reaction and only then will they drop like rain from the sky. Get it now?"

With that, Hinata cocked her brow and questioned, "What… kind of contact are we talking about here?"

"If they share a glass, there'll be effect. If they share a lollipop, that'll make the effect take place. If… well, they sleep together, there's maximum effect."

"You actually think that Eagle and that girl would—"

"I don't have that kind of perverted hunch, but I'm sure the poison will eventually take effect."

And with that, Hinata smiled and stated, "Have I ever told you how brilliant you are, My Baby Sister?"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"I want you to answer very honestly and very accurately, Neji."

"Is this 20 Q&A?"

"Obviously not!"

"Well, alright, what d'you want to ask?"

They managed to hitch a ride from a truck that transported goats straight from the countryside (and the driver never knew) by sitting on the back with a few goats peering down their shoulders. It stunk, it creeps them out, the rain somehow made things worst, but it was better than walking with the heavy cases they had.

And the handcuffs were still bothering them.

When Tenten was supposed to ask him her question, she suddenly bit her lip and smiled thinly and mumbled, "Wait… never mind…"

Cocking a brow, Neji smirked and questioned, "Why're you backing out now? Whatever your question was, I'm sure I can answer it. Now, spill it."

With this, Tenten sighed and fixed her gaze on their handcuffed wrists, side-by-side and now very bruised. Once those handcuffs are finally off, she'll definitely throw a party. But it was so odd that Ino or anyone for that matter didn't notice it. Either it was too dark, or they thought it was…

… normal.

"Don't wonder why I'm going to ask this, okay?" Tenten warned Neji, pointing at him with a somewhat accusing glare. But, she felt like she was just going to burst out cackling just thinking about what she wanted to ask. In the first place, why did she want to ask such a thing?

But, anyway, she finally asked, "Uh, you know, since I got enough money from the envelope I got this morning, maybe you'd… uh… want to… well, I don't know… Maybe you'd want to spend the night…"

A flush of red spread across Neji's face and a somewhat embarrassed (for her and for himself) feature came around. He slightly bent back as she went on stammering a little. The song 'Hotel California' played in his head even though he had tried not to think about it.

"Hey! Don't get that perverted face!" Tenten scolded him, flustered, "Let me finish before you go concluding what I want to say! Okay, here…" she cleared her throat and finally said, "Would you like to spend the evening in the pub. I don't know about you, but I'd like to relax tonight."

The sound of car horns beeping, the pitter-patter of the rain and the annoying chortles of the goats behind them invaded their silence of words. Tenten went on as Neji just looked at her, "Alcoholic drinks aren't really my thing, so I'll get some fruit drinks or something. My only intention is to… well, chill for just tonight and maybe get to know you a little more."

"_What the fuck…?" _Neji thought as he realized that _she _was asking _him_ out, _"What's this bitch up to? Get to know me a little more? Where did that come from?" _But, nevertheless, he carved a flattered smile and replied, "Sounds fun."

And with this, Tenten beamed cheerily and said, "It probably is. Count on it."

All Neji did next was nod and chuckle at her sudden hospitality. Unexpectedly, Neji jolted and exclaimed in surprise and slight alarm, "Shit, we passed the playground." When Tenten heard this, she also got alarmed. They both remember hearing Ino say that if they passed the playground, they've gone too far.

And with that, Neji hopped off with Tenten and as the truck drove through the traffic, they took their beer cases and took off back down the road they took. Through the still pouring rain, everything felt so much harder and farther. Even if this was so, they kept moving.

And in five minutes' time, which fifteen minutes to spare, they finally stood in front of a five story tall building with 'Inuzuka Tower' on the top. It was pretty impressive, but Neji simply scoffed it in his head since, compared to the Hyuga property, it was a bamboo hut.

The two stepped inside the building, through the automatic glass doors (which Neji also compared to his mansion's automatically opening, closing, locking and talking gates) and to the Information booth at the center of the ground floor. Everything gave off a corporate office look.

"Uhm, excuse me," Tenten started after approaching the woman in the booth, "We're here to deliver the beer cases of Kiba Inuzuka. Mind if I ask where I can find him?" Hearing Kiba's name simply made Neji cringe since he heard _High School Sweetie _next to it every time.

The woman looked up at them and motioned them to wait a minute. And there, she dialed a few numbers on her cellphone and suddenly blurt out in a very enrage tone and a furious expression…

"Kiba, you little bullshit, how many times do I have to tell you that Mom didn't allow you to buy beer?! I know it's because you have friends over, but I am still not going to tolerate your drunken bastard-ness at 3 am for Snuffalapagus! Fine, I'll let you through today, but not next time. Bye."

Once she had the phone down, she noticed Tenten and Neji's stunned looks, taken aback, and muttered, "He's on the fourth floor."

After a quick thank you, they walked to the nearest elevator and were sent towards the fourth floor. As the elevator music played ('All Star' by Smash Mouth), Tenten only had her mind on the money she'll soon be getting, but Neji had Sasuke's ATM card and _High School Sweetie _haunting him… not to mention that the song 'Hotel California' is still playing in his head.

With a cheery chime, the elevator doors split up and opened to the fourth floor. As a reaction to what they saw before them, Tenten had her cheeks tinted with a bright pink while Neji seemed like he was going to throw up.

Muscular, sweating, able-bodied men working out were everywhere, in every corner of the gym. Honestly, Tenten didn't know if she should scream fan girlishly or smack her hands over her eyes and whine about how she's not supposed to look at people like them.

Neji knew what he had to do: He thought, _"Damn, how many Arnold Schwarzeneggers are in this place?"_

Once Tenten had entered the gym with Neji beside her, all eyes shot to her and one pair was very much familiar. One of the men smiled and greeted her, saying, "Tenten! Is that you?"

Dark chocolate strands dramatically drenched in sweet sweat hung loosely above his enchanting yet demanding eyes with the blood red triangles barbarically streaked down his dimpled cheeks. He wasn't ripped like most of the freaks present, but he was buffed, anyway…

And Tenten first noticed the six pack.

"K-Kiba?" she acknowledged his greeting, catching her almost off-guard. Neji merely growled under his breath as they grinned sheepishly at each other. She went up to him and asked nicely and curiously, "Do you work here, Kiba?"

"I own the fourth floor gym, Tenten. My sister owns the second and third floor and my parents have the fifth floor. We practically share the whole building."

As he went on talking to her, she couldn't help but notice how Kiba's muscles were evenly toned and, strangely, Tenten wasn't stirred by the six pack…

Somehow, Neji's were better (A/C: screaming).

"So, I see you've got a new boyfriend," Kiba mentioned, smirking as he referred to Neji beside her, "You two look good, actually."

Hearing this, Neji's eyes grew and he snapped back, "Acquaintance!"

But, Kiba simply laughed and added, "Oh, sorry to keep you carrying those crates. Just put it down by the treadmill and I'll pay you as soon as you're done." He pointed at the treadmill at the far left and with that, Neji and Tenten walked towards that direction.

Once they had the beer cases down, Neji mumbled to Tenten discreetly, "Do you plan on staying longer to _flirt _with Inuzuka?"

"Of course not." Tenten defensively snapped at him softly.

"Good."

And when they were about to leave, Kiba landed a firm grasp on Tenten's shoulder and said, "Hey, you guys leaving already? Stay a little longer. Come on, Tenten, shouldn't high school friends at least have some fun together again? And I can get to know your boyfriend here…"

"Acquaintance…" Neji grumbled from under his breath as he bit his lip in anger.

But, Kiba ignored this and went on, "Why not have a beer or two before going off? I mean, Tenten, it's been a while since we last talked, right? Wouldn't you like to spend a little more time with me? It's been almost three years." His tone seemed pleading yet also stipulating.

And, because of this, Tenten reconsidered, "Well, ten minutes never hurt…"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"You okay?" Kiba asked her as she tried to catch up with the treadmill's pace, panting and absolutely exhausted.

She thought that if she stayed, she'd be talking to him and all. They did, but she never thought that they'd be doing so while jogging in the treadmill at almost 3 steps per second. Her sweat dripped down her sides and she has never felt so tired in all her life.

Neji sat on the floor beside the treadmill, holding his wrist up so that Tenten didn't have any obstruction to her exercise. He had earphones plugged into his ears, listening to 80's love songs through his phone without much thought. His stare was straight and he was totally indifferent to whatever was happening.

"… Okay… I think I've had enough, Kiba… Make it… stop!" she screamed as she kept on running on the rolling ground under her feet. Immediately, Kiba got off his treadmill and halted Tenten's jog.

Once that was over, Tenten almost melted, falling onto the floor. She felt like she was going to die on the spot of dehydration. Her breathing made her chest heave up and down as she tried to catch her breath. Neji seemed like he didn't see or hear her at all (maybe because he didn't, really).

"I need… a break…" Tenten admitted, panting and having difficulty breathing. With this, she finally sat up and grabbed the water bottle Kiba held for her. As she downed the drink, a great feeling ran through her tired limbs.

But, without warning, Kiba took his seat beside her and shot a question at her, "What's a mob boss doing handcuffed to your wrist?"

Hearing him, Tenten spat some of the water in her mouth and stared back at Kiba. From what she saw, his face was straight, dead serious and very firm. He knew about Eagle Eye and he knew about them being handcuffed (Big duh) and he might report this.

"I-It's not what it looks like…" Tenten said, defending the two of them and she was just glad that Neji was too busy and musically deaf to hear nay of this, "My father owes his mafia money and I'm the only one left and—"

"Tenten, this is a very hazardous matter," Kiba told her, grasping her hand tightly, "These people won't cry if they suddenly just pull the trigger and kill you. How can you trust him? You should've reported them before…"

"I swear, Kiba, he won't hurt me."

"What proof do you have?"

With the question, Tenten stopped in her thoughts. He was right. What did she know? But, no doubt, she was quick in trusting Neji that he wouldn't just harm her. In fact, finding him handcuffed to her in bed with her this morning was slightly traumatizing.

Her eyes were soft and she mumbled, "Kiba, please don't report this matter. All I have to do is earn 10,000 dollars within four weeks and I'm free. Nothing else. There's no harm in that. They're also human, they need the money, too…"

"People like them can _steal _money from anyone anytime." Kiba told her, still persuading her with his glare, "All I'm worried about is you. If you get hurt, I'm going to regret not reporting this situation earlier."

And when Kiba was about to take his phone out to call the police, Tenten tugged on his sleeve and pleaded, "Kiba, listen to me: Eagle Eye has no intention of hurting me. They told me they badly need the money, so killing me would be a stupid idea…

… I trust him."

With those words, Kiba's shocked expression seeped through, "How could you trust a savage assassin?"

"Don't call him that," Tenten growled, pushing Kiba's grip from her wrist, "Eagle hasn't hurt me at all within the five days we've been together. I trust him!"

"How could you trust someone like him? You've got about 23 more days to be together, right? Wouldn't he hurt you within the remaining days?"

"He. Won't. Believe me."

"I can't help but doubt your decisions, Tenten. Let me report this to the police. You'll be safe and the debt will be off. His mafia's been wanted for generations already, and if we report them now, you'll be a hero…"

"I don't want to be a hero, then."

And with this, she stood up and threateningly told Kiba, "Don't report this or I'll hate you for eternity."

When she was going to tell Neji that they were leaving, Kiba told her, "I won't until you're finally on my side. And I'm sure you will be soon."

Frustrated, Tenten shook her head at her High School Sweetie and walked off with Neji scampering up to follow her with his wrist going ahead of him. Once the elevator was already there, Tenten angrily entered the lift and as the doors closed, she kept her glare enraged at Kiba.

_I won't until you're finally on my side…_

_And I'm sure you will be soon._

"_Fat chance, Kiba…" _she bitterly thought, clenching her fist in exasperation, _"Never in a million years…"_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Do you dance?"

Hearing that out of the guy handcuffed to her, she shot him a shocked glare and mumbled a suspicious question, "What made you ask? Do I look like someone who does?" She snorted at him and went back to her fluted glass of Strawberry Sensation.

Cautiously, she took a mouthful of the sweet liquid and downed it, feeling the lump of gunk go down her throat. It was almost miraculous to not hear any drunken laughter or to see any intoxicated thugs walking around with a mug of frothy, freshly brewed beer.

Such a great and almost impossible miracle, indeed.

All she could sense was the chilliness in the air-conditioned pub, which got intense since the heavy rain still hasn't stopped. The stench of strong alcohol didn't linger around. Instead, traces of fruity cocktails came, like the place was a dirty pub at morn and a sophisticate's tavern at night.

She felt oddly calmer and more relaxed, somewhat forgetting her worries for the day… the troublesome deliveries… Kiba… Neji handcuffed to her… Everything was a blank…

It was _her _night.

"But, really," he persistently said, keeping the subject, "Do you dance? I mean, look at all those… people on the dance floor…"

"There's no dance floor. They're just swaying 'round the middle of this stuffy place. Get a grip, Screw…"

"_You _get a grip, Twenty. You're acting all tough on me."

Seeing where the foolish conversation was going, Tenten snorted at him once again and took another sip of the mocktail, licking her lips to savor each drop. Man, Ino made great drinks.

Beside her, Neji leaned on the same table, drinking vodka shots every now and then. To Tenten, vodka, tequila or any alcoholic drink for that matter sent tingles down her arms, raising her hairs. For Neji, vodka, tequila and margarita drunken straight from the bottle without a lemon or any salt are refreshing ways to cool off.

But, she somehow had an idea why Neji was asking her if she danced: Either he wants to know so he can tease her about it…

…or he'd want to actually dance with her.

"I used to." She answered, as if in a monologue, "The last time I did dance in a bar was with my friends… and I was pretty much drunk."

Hearing her answer, Neji chuckled without even turning to her and remarked, "Same here… only I wasn't drunk."

Tenten took another long sip of her beverage and giggled, remembering, "On that night, my friends and I were senior high school students, celebrating our pre-graduation night in the bar."

Something made Neji cough a little, spitting some tequila out, until Tenten went on.

"I was so tipsy from drinking light beer. It was my first time, so I wasn't able to keep track of how many mugs I have had." Tenten admitted, twirling a lock of hair around her finger shyly, "Before I knew it, I was floppy and holding on to some random guy while we just swayed on the dance floor."

Neji could just imagine Tenten with her hair in places, face red from drinking and her arms all gelatinous and limp around some other guy. It made him smirk in hilarity for a moment, but scowl in the next.

"The next morning, I had one hell of a stomach ache and a monster headache." She said, chuckling on her own, "The, it turned out that I was dancing with Kiba on that night. We were all laughing at it in the end."

Kiba's name sent a slight infuriation through Neji and a quick sense of worry and anxiety shot through Tenten's arms, making her shiver. But, as the recovering finished, Tenten asked, "So, what… uh, why'd you ask if I danced?"

At this, Neji merely shrugged and answered, "I was going to ask you if you wanted to dance, but it all seems kinda weird, y'know…"

"Well, why not?"

Her words shot through him unexpectedly. He stared back at her in surprise and she said, "I mean, I suck at dancing and I'm sure you do, too. So, why don't we see who sucks at dancing the more, hm?" She smiled at him in amusement, hoping he'd agree.

Hearing the silly proposal, Neji chuckled and mumbled, "Are you sure about this?"

"Surer then ever!" she exclaimed, standing up, ready to go to the center and dance.

And with that, Neji had no choice but to follow her since they were linked together, anyway.

_You're looking kinda lonely girl.  
Would you like someone new to talk to?  
I'm feeling kinda lonely, too.  
__If you don't mind, can I sit down here beside you?_

Hearing the currently playing song, Tenten snorted once more and commented, "Oh my gawd, my Dad used to listen to this music. What's this, 70's or 80's music?" She walked to the center, amid the slowly swaying people under the neon lights.

Neji smirked and added, "I've got something worst about this song: My parents danced to it on Saturday nights. And they don't give a damn if I'm there to watch them. It makes me sick, sometimes, seeing them still in love at an old age." He shivered a little and snickered.

To Tenten, it wasn't sickening at the very least. It was actually romantic to know that they loved each other to the very end.

_If I seem to come on too strong,  
I hope that you will understand.  
I say these things 'cause I'd like to know  
if you're as lonely as I am  
and if you mind…  
_

"So, shall we?" Neji muttered as they finally stood face to face under the dizzy swirling lights of the bar. He held his hand out, letting the chain that held their wrists together make a soft chime as he did.

She laughed melodiously and questioned, "Look, I don't know the first thing to do, a'ight? I don't know what to do with my hands, I know no steps… nothing!" She shook her head as she laughed at herself and her foolishness. But Neji didn't seem to be joking at all.

Seeing this, Tenten turned her gaze up at the straight face he held and mumbled shyly, "Are you serious?"

"Well," Neji replied, smiling at her at last, "Of course I am. Just for fun. Look around and copy whatever the dancers around us are doing."

With this, Tenten turned to her right and left, seeing the other dancers in each other's arms, swaying to no definite rhythm. It was like they didn't have a care for the world. No one's opinion mattered. It was all about chilling out and having a good time…

…And that's what she's supposed to do, too.

_Sharing the night together, oh yeah  
Sharing the night together, oh yeah, sharing the night._

"Alright," Tenten finally said, taking his hand awkwardly, "But… respect distance, okay?"

"I know, I know." He answered as he pulled her closer, laying her hand on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The hands that were obstructed by the handcuffs simply met and there, unconsciously, their fingers entwined.

_We could bring in the morning girl  
if you want to go that far  
and if tomorrow find us together  
right here the way we are  
would you mind_

Sharing the night together, oh yeah  
Sharing the night together, oh yeah, sharing the night.

And there, Tenten just took tiny steps to the sides and Neji simply did the same, making their steps harmonious and somehow choreographed. In fact, Tenten found herself giggling at how fun it felt and how comical it was that they were dancing together.

Through the music, they could hear each other's heart beat just getting hasty, maybe at the moment or at the exhaustion from the day's activities. Whatever it was, it didn't fail to make Neji grin sheepishly.

Soon, out of laxity, Tenten just muttered, "Hey, you're pretty good."

Neji smiled at this and said, "You, too. I guess we tie. We equally suck."

She chuckled with him at the comment and there, Neji's forehead met hers, making them smile timidly at the sudden closure. She could notice the same amazing lavender tinge in his eyes and only now did he see the perfect teeth and tiny lips she had.

The respect for distance was almost gone.

_Would you like to __dance__ with me and hold me?  
You know, I want to be holding you  
__'Cause I like feeling like I do.  
And I see in your eyes  
that you're liking it too._

"What's with the smart ass smirk?" she suddenly asked him in a sweet whisper as her forehead still leaned against his. She could feel his pants brush against hers and she sensed his breath near her lips, somehow. It was awesome to finally conclude that he seemed to have an everlasting mint in his mouth.

Clearly, Neji had a sly smirk on him, mesmerizing her with his eyes. His pale features worked like magic to her. "What smirk?" he whispered back, holding her closer as she somehow and very involuntarily almost hugged him near.

And there, her eyes seemed to grow heavy. Either it was from the swerving lights or it was really the mood the ambience of the place was setting… or maybe it was the charmer she had before her.

Everything felt blank and Tenten couldn't feel her toes anymore. It's as if she's floating in air with him holding on to her so she'd never fall. But, over-all, something simple yet very self-explanatory described her thoughts right now…

'I'm dancing with a mob boss and I don't care.'

Without much thought, their lips neared, but never met. It just felt like they just wanted to feel the other's breath, their presence. No words came out of them. Then and there, their true colors came out. They let out what they truly felt that they've realized only now.

In a slick movement, Neji positioned his lips near her ear and whispered in such discreetness…

"I thought you didn't trust me."

With those words, Tenten's didn't react. But her mind was listening despite everything.

Neji silently chuckled and added, "Didn't you say that you'd never trust a mob boss? So, why are you in my arms now?"

And with this snap realization, Tenten's eyes shot open and immediately, she shoved him away and said nothing. The words were holding on to the tip of her tongue and Kiba's words were echoing in her head again.

"_I can't help but doubt your decisions, Tenten. Let me report this to the police. You'll be safe and the debt will be off. His mafia's been wanted for generations already, and if we report them now, you'll be a hero…"_

"_I don't want to be a hero, then."_

And as she looked at him, his enchanting and seemingly-innocent smile and that polo shirt that hid his six pack, she suddenly woke up to a fact that she once denied but is now fully accepting. When she tried to hide it, it came out.

She had always trusted him.

Even if she said she didn't, her words didn't prevail. Her actions spoke louder than ever. The pleading of Kiba not to report him… The promise to Kiba that he'd never hurt her… The going to the hotel party… Dancing _in his arms_…

She trusts him… or did she trust him _too _much?

And there, she simply smiled at him, concealing the confusion she felt inside and muttered, "It's getting late. Let's go home, hm?"

It was 6 p.m.

It was hard to believe, but it's the truth. Tenten now trusts the mob boss Eagle Eye…

… and something, a strong gut feeling, told her that he really would _never _hurt her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I had a major case of writer's block in the middle of this, so please forgive me for taking me almost a week or so to post this. Now, for the suspense chapters (which you guys read so you can stay up tonight, thinking and anticipating. Jk.):**

**Will Lee be able to unlock the handcuffs by the next chapter? Will Kiba be able to actually 'brainwash' Tenten into betraying Neji and reporting him? Will she eventually take Kiba's side? Will the poison of Hinata and Hanabi transmitted into Tenten and Neji eventually take effect? **

**Will Neji and Tenten **_**finally **_**admit that they're in love? **

**(My answer: It takes them so damn long to realize this! I can just scream at them, "Fall in love already, Dattebayo!" –huff- -huff-)**

**Kankuro: Great. I'm staying up tonight.**


	9. Day Six: Hormones & Thugs

**Kankuro: Oh my gawd!**

**Me: -snaps awake- Huh? Huh?**

**Kankuro: What the hell is wrong with you?! You… You look like you spaced out then transformed into a gibbon! **

**Me: -arches brow- What the heck are you talking about you, Kankuro?**

**Kankuro: Alright, I'll say it straight: What's with the freaky face?**

**Me: Freaky… face?**

**Kankuro: Yeah, you've been wearing one for the last thirty minutes.**

**Me: I… have?**

**Kankuro: -hands pictures- Here, take a look. –pause- Don't ask me how I got the pictures. –smiles sheepishly-**

**Me: -takes a look at photos- Oh. That's my 'bombarded-by-tests-and-next-to-evaporating-coz-of-lesson-overload' face.**

**Kankuro: Oh. Scary. Don't do that again, it freaks me out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I _am _wearing my 'bombarded-by-tests-and-next-to-evaporating-coz-of-lesson-overload' face.**

**Note: Forgive any perverted-ness (That is, if you mind only. If you don't, well, thanks) and there are more swear words today than usual. Blame Neji and hormones. Lol. You have been warned. **

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_"I hate sunrises. They always mean a new day and a new day means new problems. My newest one lives with me."_

It was strange how Tenten woke up three hours too early. Shockingly, it was four a.m. and not even Neji was awake. Groggily, she stood up, walking around the house in a randomly picked tank top and jogging shorts. It was such a relief to have her own space back.

Last night, she and Neji came home exhausted and were soon brushing their teeth inside her bathroom in the clothes they had on the whole day. Before heading home, they offered 150 dollars to any random guy who could break the handcuff chains. Neji knew it'd be futile, but whatever.

Of course, they headed home after a man came around with a chainsaw and a demented grin.

Finally, Lee came home and, as promised to Neji, he unlocked the handcuffs. Tenten didn't stop hugging and thanking him for doing so. And, finally, their temporary hell was over for now.

As Tenten walked around the veranda to simply stare at the empty horizon, she couldn't help but rub her cut up wrist, feeling every unintentional carve on her reddened skin. And with every sting, she couldn't help but recall yesterday's happenings.

She never realized that she's been immobile and still long enough to actually see the sunrise for the day. To her, the mix of the joyful yellow and golden glory didn't please her. Not this time.

Back when she was a child, she'd wake up early and watch the sun rise with her father. How she wished she could have those memories back…

_"Dad," _she'd ask her father in her innocent tone with her curious eyes peering up at the man who held her close, securely and warmly, _"What's that big ball coming up to greet us? I forgot what we called it."_

Her father would merely laugh and reply, pointing at the ascending sun, _"We call that a sun, sweetie. And this thing we're seeing is a sunrise. It's the marking of a new day. New days are new opportunities for everyone and all my life, I've never missed a single sunrise."_

She remembers how she'd look out in awe at the transforming sky, from the dull navy blue to the cheerful shade of sky blue and shades of citrus. Definitely, she was a morning person. Then, her father would always, always add, _"Your mother loved sunsets. I didn't."_

And, hearing her mother mentioned, Tenten would ask, _"Do you miss Mommy, Daddy?"_

Without a tear, without a frown, without a clench of a fist or a nip of lips, her father would simply answer, _"I never will."_

Maybe it was the reason why she woke up so early unconsciously. Maybe her Dad wanted to share the sunrise today… Maybe it was a sign that today would be different… better… brighter…

"How was your sleep, princess?"

The voice jolted her, waking her up even more. From what she knew, it was absolutely Neji. Reacting, she turned around, expecting to see him by the veranda door, but he wasn't there. Her eyes narrowed at this until the voice came back, saying, "Look up."

And as her gaze was thrown to the roof, she found him seated comfortably on the slant of the roof with a paper cup of coffee at hand. He had last night's pants and polo shirt on with his hair flying with the morning breeze from the sea's direction.

"Morning," she greeted him, snickering at him, "Up early, too?"

He shook his head and stated, "It's half-past six already. You know how I wake up at this time. Went to the store for a cup of coffee and decided to go here since I haven't spent a sunrise on the roof top for the past six days."

"You do that all the time? Drinking coffee on the roof?" It amused her to hear his habit.

He arched his brows in acknowledgement and said, "Yeah. I do it a lot. Refreshing way to start the day, escaping from my Dad's early morning nagging. He'd always tell me to get up and contact this guy, talk to this company, con Walt Disney… business at this time of the morning kills me."

With this, he took a sip of his black coffee and sighed in satisfaction after he did. He tossed his head back and asked, "Don't you sit on the roof?"

"I'm not one to know how."

"Should I teach you?"

"Nah. I'll stay here in the veranda. I feel secure here."

"You've got no excitement in your life."

She laughed and commented, "You're a mob boss. Of course, _you _have a little excitement with all those guns, chases, money and slips. I'm a College Student on vacation and currently working for a pub. Do you think small people like me have any excitement in our lives?"

"Don't worry," Neji said after taking another gulp of his coffee, "I know other species that have less excitement in their life. You're still lucky, even."

Hearing this, Tenten smirked and folded her arms across her chest and replied, "Oh yeah? Try me."

With this, Neji laughed and plainly answered, "Ever watched 'Godzilla'?"

"Who hasn't? What about it?"

"You know how Godzilla laid eggs despite the fact that he was the first giant mutant lizard to come around?"

Tenten nodded and recalled the fact in the movie. Honestly, she didn't pay attention to any of those factors. All she knows was: Godzilla's a huge iguana. Wrecked New York. Only monster that didn't eat people unless you reeked like fish. Died. Star of movie kisses ugly girl. The End. What more was there to know?

After Tenten nodded, Neji remarked, "Godzilla mates asexually."

When she heard this, Tenten snorted and shrugged, "Your point is…?"

"There are a lot of things out there who mate asexually. Just be glad you're not one of them. I mean, come on. Where's the fun in mating asexually?" He chuckled at his own lame joke and finished all of his coffee in one gulp.

Tenten, on the other hand, had her jaw dropped again and she commented, "It's not even seven o'clock yet and you're already giving off perverted comments. Seriously, if all men were like you, I'll never get married." And there, she stopped for a moment… then laughed at the fact. Her suddenly boisterous laughter melted with Neji's, and soon, her stomach hurt from laughing.

Okay, so it was true: There's no fun in mating asexually.

With this, Neji watched Tenten just keep laughing uncontrollably. Seeing her like this made him all warm and fuzzy inside, as if watching her smile and feel so happy made him glad, too. It's like her emotions were linked to his.

"Don't you have work today?" Neji questioned her, suddenly making his face straight for the moment.

As an answer, Tenten nodded her head and said, "Yeah, but my shift starts at 10. Wouldn't it be kinda early if I got ready now?"

"Better early than late, right?" Neji suddenly blurt out, holding up a persuasive look that had his eyes round like golf balls. A freaky smile was spread over his jaw and he added, "Who knows? If you get there four hours early, you'll get 40 dollars additional."

Seriously, Tenten wasn't going to actually think that'd happen.

She giggled and said, "Neji, I'm not that desperate to earn enough money anymore. A few days ago, I was really broke and I had no heart to sell anything. Now, I have around 8500 dollars in my pocket. I'm not really in a rush anymore." And there, she went back to the sunrise, finding the orb above the sea horizon by now.

But, with this, Neji bit his lip and heaved a sigh, quick and discreet. He tossed the empty paper cup over his shoulder and suddenly told her, "Tenten, I hope you don't mind, but I'm not going to work with you today."

And when the words were taken in, her eyes grew and she almost shrieked, "What do you mean you're not going to work with me today?" Her aghast expression got him taken aback, "Isn't it your job to keep an eye on me?" It was strange how she wanted him to be with her to work.

Neji simply shrugged and mentioned, "Well, I have to do a few errands… for the mafia. I may be guarding you for the next few days, but I have to do my other responsibilities, too, you know." They plainly stared at each other as nothing but the breeze made a sound.

She growled, keeping her arms folded across her arms angrily, "So, what happens if I get hurt or something? Without me, my income won't come. Without my income, you won't get your payment."

At her stubborn attitude, Neji rolled his eyes and said, "Contact me. Give my beeper a message or something, okay?"

"Any time?"

"Only if it's _absolutely, positively, definitely _important."

"Okay. Sure. Promise."

And at this, Tenten arched a brow all of a sudden and questioned, "Say, what'll you be doing all day, then? I mean, how're you going to run your errands? Will you just be here at home?"

Neji took his Blackberry out and explained, "Yeah, I'll just be here. I have my Blackberry, like always, and I can boss people around from here. Want one?" And there, he tucked his phone back into his pocket and proceeded to stand up till she interrupted.

"I have a few rules for you, Screw," she remarked, turning to him fully, "Don't break, steal, touch or even think of grabbing anything in the house. Don't enter the private rooms and don't poison anything." She kept her stare stern until she added, "And order pizza before I come home."

He rolled his eyes and replied, "That won't be a problem." And all of a sudden, his eye twitched, causing him to involuntarily and awkwardly blink his right eye uneasily at Tenten. His cheek rose with it oddly and he wasn't even aware of it.

"Are… Are you flirting with me?"

Her words took him by surprise, "Flirting? Not with you. What made you think I was?"

"Oh, so there must be another person behind me whom you are winking at, then?"

"Me? Winking?"

"It's early in the morning, Screw. Don't shit around with me."

"I'm serious! I ain't winking!"

And at this, Neji immediately turned away from her and excused himself, saying, "Uh… I have to start my errands early if ever I want to finish early. I'll… I'll see you later." With that, he hopped to the other side of the roof and slid down to the lawn.

Once his feet landed onto the lush grass, he clenched his fists and clutched his abdomen with a troubled expression on. Only, this kind of pain he was feeling felt… somehow bearable and normal. His eyes twitched again as he flinched once more and he groaned involuntarily.

Walking across the lawn, his face was distorted and anxiety was spread over his face. He knew the very reason why he was so.

Stupid hormones, getting out of control.

Immediately, he took his Blackberry out and speed dialed his apprentice, as if in a rush. The constant rings echoed, making time go slower. Impatiently, Neji paced around without sense until the other line was picked up.

"Eagle Eye." The voice at the other side greeted, "I thought you were going to take forever in calling."

Neji ignored his assistant's comment and snapped back, "Shut up for now, will you? Give me an immediate update now on Uchiha's movement."

The line was silent for a few seconds. Nothing but the clacking of the keyboard and the whir of a printer was heard until the voice came back, "You were careless enough to leave evidence of your presence in the hotel room—"

"Yeah, yeah, the hair strands, I know," Neji said, cutting the sentence, "I just want you to tell me: Who is Uchiha sending to get me?"

A rustle of papers came around and Neji's assistant stated, "Well, it's like this: Sasuke and Itachi knew of your presence. But, Sasuke was unaware that you were present when he was… harassing Tenten." The sound of that fact sent shivers and anger shooting through Neji, heating his blood.

"Anyway," his apprentice continued on the phone, "Remember how Itachi hired professional security guards? Well, he's sending a few to your destination to… well, get even for jamming his state-of-the-art elevator system. But, it's pretty stupid of Sasuke not to realize his ATM card's absence."

Damn rich bastard.

"Well," he said, panicky, "Tell me who's coming and what time! I have to get the chick out of the house coz she'll kill me if she ever finds out about any of this!" He tugged on his hair, creases across his forehead.

His assistant heaved a pathetic breath at the other end and explained accurately, "From the org's reports and our hired spies' documents, Itachi plans on sending two to deal with you as of now. One of them is a redheaded mass murderer… who's pretty hot…"

Neji couldn't help but feel gay at this. He needs a new assistant if this one's gonna go all gaga over his enemies.

His assistant added with that, "And the other one is some idiot who just ended up in jail for stealing candy from a baby… and I mean it."

It was strange, but it made sense. Uchiha's security is the best because he hired convicts. Ex-convicts, maybe. Convicts have practically mastered every move of offense known and beyond, every kind of weaponry, every technique and every code any police can set. They're almost invincible.

Neji is one, so he wasn't the least worried about them. He was worried about Tenten finding out that two more criminals will be coming over.

"Do you have their estimated destination arrival time?" Neji asked his apprentice in a rush, "I need to know that really badly."

The assistant didn't reply immediately, but eventually, Neji's question was answered, "According to the tracking devices the org planted on the thugs…

…One is on his way right now."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Someone's in a good mood. Morning, Tenten."

The greeting took her by surprise and she ended up yelping in shock when Lee came around in his office clothes and press camera. Tenten, on the other hand, had short khakis and a fit halter on. She was just on her way to the kitchen to make breakfast when she and Lee met in the hallway.

"Oh, it's you, Lee," Tenten replied, laughing at herself, "I got surprised, sorry. I'm on my way to make breakfast for the three of us. Will you be able to join us today?"

But, Lee shook his head and answered, "Sorry, Tenten, but I have a morning shift today. I'll be coming home very late tonight coz I have a photo shoot in the next city in a few minutes. I might end up late again." Strangely, though, he didn't seem to be in any hurry.

At this, Tenten simply nodded in understanding, saying, "That's too bad, Lee. You've been skipping meals more frequently…"

The two went down the stairs together, with Lee behind Tenten as she looked at him behind her. Lee fastened his tie and started talking, "It wouldn't matter. As long as I keep exercising regularly, I'll be—"

Lee's eyes grew at what he saw past the glass door that separated the house interior from the lawn. While on the stairs, Lee paused and Tenten stared back at him, facing her back against the scene outside…

Neji was wrestling with a redheaded thug, a little bruised and stuck in a master lock.

From what it seemed, Neji's features practically screamed, 'Don't let Tenten see this! Do anything! Just don't let her see me!'

To cover for the battle ongoing in her pocket garden, Lee grabbed Tenten's shoulders, keeping her gaze away from the view of the lawn, and began speaking quickly to keep her preoccupied, "Oh, and I also have an appointment later and an interview with the president in ten hours, but I'm sure you'd see my article tomorrow and—"

Seeing what Lee's doing, Tenten cocked a brow in slight suspicion and politely interrupted, "Uh, Lee, I have to make breakfast, so if you don't mind…"

"No!" Lee blurt out, glancing at Neji and the thug struggle every now and then. Clearly, Neji was still stuck in the thug's strong and firm hold, sticking his tongue out in exasperation and mild submission. But, when Neji could, he sent his leg up between the thug's legs, making the thug yell in pain. Luckily, hardly any sounds from outside came in.

At the sight, Lee jolted and exclaimed, "Oh my gawd, that has got to hurt!"

Hearing his remark, Tenten shot him a odd look and mumbled, "W-What hurt?"

Seeing his sudden laxity, Lee stammered, "Nothing, nothing. Nothing at all. Just my… foot… I think I hit it on the… floor…"

From then on, Tenten generalized that Lee could get hurt over flat surfaces.

Once Neji got away from the hold, he screamed to Lee outside, ending up with a muffled exclamation, "Don't let Tenten see this!" But, Uchiha's thug grabbed him again and started throwing punches down his cheek.

Hearing the muffled voice of Neji, Tenten proceeded to turn as she said, "Was that Neji?" But, immediately reacting, Lee took her by the shoulders again and tried to do something to keep her from looking at Neji's way. He, too, was getting panicky.

"Tenten, I want you to know that I love the color green, I'm allergic to magnolia, I like Lemon Meringue ice cream, I'm a fan of Elvis Presley's hair, I forgot to brush my teeth again last night, I use hair wax and… and…" But, it was no use. Tenten still found this senseless and was about to turn around and see the fight accidentally until…

… Lee pulled on her shoulders again, made her face him and without much thought, he pressed his lips against hers.

Lee knew he'd regret this. Tenten's eyes grew wide and her lips curved downward in disgust and shock. Neji, lying on the grass with blood near his lips, saw it and his jaw dropped. If he beats the thug, he's going to kill Lee next.

Realizing that Lee simply did it to distract Tenten, Neji reached for the thug's collar and pulled himself downwards with his grip on the man's collar still strong. And there, the thug hit his head against the glass door, stunned for now.

At the sound of the thud, Tenten squeaked and tried to push herself away from Lee. It was gross enough to find him kissing her and it got more revolting when she swore that it was his tongue that flicked on her hard palette. She drew away from Lee, spitting and she screamed at him, "What the fuck was that for?!"

When Lee saw that Neji was finally dragging an unconscious body across the lawn, Lee blurt out, making a slip, "Good, Tenten! That is how you must react when a pervert suddenly kisses you!" He showed her two thumbs up and added, "I'm glad you know how to be sexually safe!"

Tenten swears her lips and ears ached from the traumatizing and swift drift of events. At this, she let it pass and she simply mumbled, "Gawd, don't do that again, please?" With that, she rubbed her lips again and briskly proceeded to the kitchen.

Lee stayed behind and when he saw Neji eyeing him angrily from behind the glass, he flashed him a peace sign. But Neji replied to him by flicking his middle finger angrily at him with a glare that said 'I'll kill you and your shitty sex ed advice'.

After showing Lee his now growing hate, Neji paced to the thug he fought. The weary man's body had gone limp and his head was against the wall. Quickly, Neji grabbed him by the collar again and continuously beat his head against the wall, telling the convict as red showers came every now and then, "Tell Uchiha to go fuck himself."

When he was sure that the thug was really out like a light (and when he had already released all of his anger by hitting the man's head against the wall), he dialed his apprentice and muttered…

"Hey, I need someone to pick up the first bastard. I'm ready for the next, bet on it."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Shit this!"

The raven-haired exclaimed in exasperation, angered yet calm in his features. All there was to show his fury was his the creasing of his nose and the bearing of his teeth. Beside him was his brother, smoking a cigar coolly, as if unaffected by the situation.

"How can this fucker manage to beat up Sasori and Deidara before eight o'clock?" Sasuke mumbled, crumpling the contract the two convicts made with them Uchihas. After tossing it into the bin, Sasuke asked Itachi, "Those two have done away with stronger idiots before. How can this scrawny mafia boss defeat them _without firearms_?"

With this, Itachi simply smirked, blowing the smooth, silvery smoke from between his handsome lips. After propping his feet up onto the desk in front of them, Itachi chuckled, "Foolish little brother…"

It pissed Sasuke off every time he called him that, but he let his sibling continue, "We are dealing with the heir to the Caged Bird Mafia. His performance even went beyond my expectations." After another huff of smoke, he added, "But I think I know what to do to defeat someone like him."

Hearing this, Sasuke cocked a brow in interest. Hopefully, his brother would be some use for now.

"Remember: We're dealing with an adolescent boy. Like you, he's got fiery hormones that he can't control almost at all." Itachi said, breathing in another whiff of smoke, "And what do you think can… cease a young man's hormones?"

Without much thought, Sasuke replied reluctantly, "… I dunno…"

Seeing how pathetic his younger sibling is, Itachi hinted, "Fool. A man with angry hormones is like an Eskimo dying in the middle of the desert: He can never resist anything anymore and he'd take _anything _just to eliminate the hunger and suffering. Put it in the way of Hyuga."

After questioning things silently in his mind, Sasuke muttered, as if guessing, "Are you saying that Hyuga is currently… hungry?"

"Little brother, _every _man who doesn't have a girlfriend is hungry. You are, too; admit it. Must be why you just hopped onto that random girl the other night."

Immediately, Sasuke flinched at the memory of that night he suddenly dragged Tenten into his suite out of lust. But, as he tried to forget that lingering moment, he couldn't help recall how he had a girlfriend… how he had Sakura… and how he broke her heart…

"Just tell me how to pull Hyuga down," Sasuke snapped back, next to growling, "Enough of your crappy advice and all…"

Once a loud sigh escaped Itachi, dilating his nostrils, Itachi concluded, "Send the Angel of Kami."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"I'll be home as soon as my shift is over. Around 4."

"Sure, sure."

"I'll call you when I have an emergency."

"By all means."

"Don't steal anything…"

"Count on it."

"… Don't break anything…"

"Not a problem."

"And don't open my underwear drawer."

"… What the fuck are you—"

"I'm kidding, Neji," she giggled, slapping his back as if they were old chaps, "Can't you take a joke? You look kinda serious today, in fact. And since when did you get a bruise on your lip?" Gently, she tapped the tiny rip on his bottom lip, examining the blot of blood.

Concerned, she told him, "I have a first aid kit in the bathroom, so get that disinfected. I don't want fungi or Porcini mushrooms growing there." She shivered at the thought of mycological diseases and added, "Oh, and I'll bring something home for you if I remember to, okay?"

Hearing the sudden act of generosity, Neji snickered and joked, "Gawd, Twenty, I'm not a little kid who'd kill you for not bringing home a toy from work, you know." He chuckled somewhat nervously until his perverted and hormonal thoughts invaded his mind…

_"Damn, why don't you kiss my lips to make it better, huh? Dang. And bring yourself home wrapped with red ribbon and nothing else. Oh, and some edible body paint. That'd be an awesome gift. Oh yeah! I have a girl toy! Shitty fun!"_

When he realized that his abdomen is cramping from his swirling man hormones again, he flinched, twitching his eye again involuntarily.

Seeing this, Tenten sighed and answered, "There you go again, cringing with that stupid eye of yours winking. Is it some idiotic mannerism you've always had? Or is something wrong with you? Tell me now so I can bring home medicine or something, you know."

"What? Winking? I told you, I'm not winking _at you _and I'm absolutely fine. Shit." He answered anxiously, adding a laugh that came out unnaturally. Seriously, if he told her that his hormones were getting heated up coz of her, she'd single-handedly strangle him to death.

With this, Tenten nodded and continued, "So, yeah, I'll get home ASAP. My car's still screwed-up, so I'll be walking. Any questions?"

"Uhm… yep."

"Well, what is it, then?"

"What do you mean by 'screwed'? I mean the slang version of… or… uh…"

Immediately, after the foolish statement he made, he turned around, biting his sore lip in annoyance and holding onto his stomach, screaming in his thoughts, _"Aw, fuck these hormones! Damn, damn, damn! I can't fucking believe I said that shit! My gawd! Okay, gotta keep calm…_

_…Must… resist… manly… urge… Damn it!"_

After a series of stifled screams, abnormal breathing and more restraints, Neji turned to Tenten again and said, covering his mistake, "Well, that was completely random of me to say that! Hahaha! Sorry, I'm kinda hyper with the coffee I had this morning, sorry! Yeah, screwed… Haha!"

At this, Tenten shot him a worried expression, her mouth ajar in shock and her eyes squinted in question. She giggled uneasily and squeaked in reply, "Okay, from now on, you're drinking decaf. I'll see you later, Neji."

As quickly as she could, she went through her front door, closing it behind her in a hurry. When Neji was finally alone before the door, he murmured as if talking to Tenten, "Have a great day, Honey." Again, he immediately realized his unconscious acts and slapped his hand onto his face, yelling, "Shit, this puberty!"

On the spot, he once again clutched his stomach as if in pain and yelled in rage, "Damn hormones! If I end up making out with that bitch, I'll blame hormones! Hormones! My stupid, fucking hormones!"

"For a mob boss, you're pretty dense."

The voice took him by surprise, jolting him and forcing him to jump up from his ranting. He swiftly turned to find Lee in his office clothes, holding his brief case, listening to his complaints. Lee seemed like he understood what was happening to Neji… and it wasn't hormones, most probably.

"You know, Neji," Lee started, walking nearer to him with an entertained smile, "Hormones aren't to blame for the twitching, the awkwardness, the sudden goofiness and the perverted thoughts… and the 'screwed' question you threw at Tenten seconds ago…

… It's only natural."

Hearing the nonsense Lee told him, Neji snorted and opposed, "Lee, I think you don't know what's happening to me. A lot of guys get these certain days when we feel all weird and all… like today! It's like a girl bleeding every month. Damn, don't you get the same kind of feeling every now and then?"

"I'm… a very wholesome person. I don't get those kind of urges."

"Don't call them that!" Neji snapped, still aching at the stomach, "They're not _that _intense. A little porn can end it, you know…"

"My gawd, you read porn?!"

"No! I don't! Porn's like an anti-drug… I don't need those kind of things. Usually, I get through these days locked up in my room and not making eye contact with any women for the next 24 hours. Damn, Lee, seeing Tenten today in this condition makes me imagine her in shitty ways!"

"My point is:" Lee said, trying to calm Neji down since he was out of control of his emotions, "You're not feeling this way towards her because of your hormones. You just… feel this way coz you do."

At this, Neji arched a brow and asked, "Fuck, what are you saying, man?"

Lee laughed and pointed at him, saying, "My, you _are _dense. Let me just put it this way: Married men feel the same way towards their wives."

"What?! I thought this pain ended after puberty!"

"Eagle Eye, listen to me. Take these words seriously, okay: It's not puberty, hormones or lack of porn."

"Gawd, I _know _it's not lack of porn…"

"It's _love_."

"Stop that shit, Lee, you know it's not! I don't love her! Damn, it's hormones, I said! _Hormones!_"

Realizing the hopelessness in Neji, Lee just patted his shoulder and stated, "You'll see what I mean. Look at another woman within the day and you'll realize how you don't feel the same way. I'm telling you, Neji, it's not hormones."

And there, Neji heaved a sigh and told Lee, holding up his fist, "Yeah? And I'll kick your ass for kissing Tenten earlier."

"It just came out! I did what I could to hide the fight going on outside, right? She didn't find out, anyway…"

"I'd rather have her calling the police to arrest me than have her licking lips with you."

Amused, Lee snickered and started to sing in falsetto, "Jealousy! Eagle Eye and Tenny sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Damn it, man, get out!"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Hyuga Neji of the Caged Bird Mafia? Humph, never heard of him."

"Well, now you have, missy." Sasuke told her, handing a picture of Eagle Eye to the azure-locked gangster. The hands on the stranger's hips tapped impatiently, as if the order was as petty as nothing at all.

The gangster's pierced partner snorted and told the Uchihas, "No amount of money can make me _lend _you Konan. She's not for rent or anything. In fact, we never take missions like these. What makes you think that we will now?"

Sasuke knew that this was coming, so he snapped his fingers smoothly and called out, "Kisame."

Immediately, the sound of two cocked guns were heard and the woman couldn't help but freeze, her blood chilling as she did. But her partner stayed firm and passive. He knew there was nothing to think of, despite this.

"I'll count from three." Sasuke threatened, still holding up the contract that Konan and Pein are supposed to sign, "Before I say 'one', I want your signatures on the dotted line and your little girl here should be one her way to kill Hyuga before I count to five. Now, shall we?…

… Three… Two… Two and a half…"

Konan could feel her lips quiver in fear and her eyes shook in suspense. Still, only Pein was stopping her from grabbing the pen and signing her name. He had control over her and unless he said so, she wouldn't make a move.

But, before Sasuke said 'one' and let Kisame shoot Pein and Konan without warning, Pein asked, "What is she supposed to do, anyway?"

Smirking, Sasuke motioned for Kisame to halt his fire and he said, "Your girlfriend here just has to get rid of someone for me. Payment is a million dollars if you're successful, of course. If you refuse, Kisame pulls the trigger at you."

Once again, Konan gulped, letting the thick lump down her throat. Pein comfortingly squeezed her hand, telling her that he knew what to do and she didn't have to worry. On that instance, Pein questioned the Uchiha, "Will she get hurt?"

"Maybe."

"That's what I don't want to happen."

"Well, there's no guarantee that she won't come back without bloodshed. The two other thugs, up till now, lay unconscious and bloodied somewhere in this shitty city."

"Consider your offer officially refused. I don't want Konan getting hurt. Send me."

"That can't be arranged, Pein. Besides, don't worry about your Konan getting hurt there. Worry about her getting shot this very second."

With the statement, Pein's eyes widened and seeing the no-win situation, he growled, asking, "When will she have to do the 'mission'?"

"Tomorrow. Afternoon or morning, the fuck do I care. Just get the damn job done."

Still, Pein's threatening glare bore through Sasuke, "I'll let Konan do your mission, but I want her back in one piece unless you want me burning down each piece of Uchiha property worldwide. Do you hear me, Uchiha?"

Now, it was also a no-win situation for Sasuke, too. After a few seconds of thought, he finally nodded and said, "Loud and clear."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Agent 007254 speaking."

"Hey, Rose."

"Oh, it's you, Eagle Eye. Are we meeting today to decode Uchiha's card?"

"Obviously. Know that new Bayside Carnival that opened last Thursday?"

"We're meeting there?!"

"Well, my hacker works there so what choice do we have?"

"Hm, I see. What time?"

"As soon as possible."

"Is Tenten coming?"

"Nah. She has work. I'll talk to you later there, okay? See you."

After hanging up, Neji took a look at the time. It was only 8:30 and he already felt dragging. To top it off, he was afraid to face Rose. He's not supposed to look at girls the very least with his state. But, still, Lee's words were repeating themselves in his head, haunting him.

Quickly, Neji paced out of the front door, his breath stiff and counted. Out of the house and finally rushing through the sidewalk, he couldn't help but recall a lingering memory that happened about a year ago that came around only now. He didn't know why, but it just popped back into his head…

_"Hey, Dad. Are you awake?" he asked the old man that lay in bed, his eyes shut in relaxation. When he got no answer, Neji decided to repeat his question, "Pop, hey. You alive?"_

_"I'm fine, my boy," his father wearily answered, "It's in the middle of the night, son. Go to sleep."_

_"Look who's talking. Shouldn't you be asleep, too?"_

_Hearing where this was going, Kosa Hyuga reached for his bedside lamp's switch, asking his son, "Damn, Neji, what do you want? If you had some nightmare or something, that ain't my problem anymore." _

_"Shut up, Dad, I'm not a little kid anymore." Neji suddenly snapped back, eventually regretting it. Hastily, he gulped at the mistake. Here he was, standing in front of his Dad in slacks and a smeared t-shirt, disturbing the diabetic at 1:29 a.m. How embarrassing to one's dad._

_At that remark, Kosa Hyuga chuckled at his son and said, "Not a little kid anymore? Look at you, Neji, you have smudges of mud cake and traces of jellybean scents all over your shirt and your slacks reek like gunpowder. Son, you still look like a little kid to me."_

_Rolling his eyes, Neji defended, "Well, I don't eat boogers anymore."_

_"Definitely. You're too old for that." After he managed to sit up, Kosa Hyuga questioned Neji's visitation, "So, what do you want from me?"_

_"Advice."_

_"Ah? Advice? Damn." The elderly man shook his head slowly, snickering at Neji's sudden humility to admit that he needs help, "Is this about your business meeting tomorrow or is it about the new machine gun your aunt got you the other day?"_

_After chuckling, Neji shook his head and rubbed his nape as he told Kosa Hyuga, "Actually, Dad, it's about this girl…"_

_Hearing the word 'girl', Kosa Hyuga's eyes grew, crystallite shining under the moonbeams that seeped through his window's glass. He suddenly burst into uncontrollable yet choked laughter. His wrinkles tightened as his features appeared amused and he finally said…_

_"A girl?! Gawd, how time flies, Neji. You used to think the word 'girl' was forbidden to your tongue, now you go talkin' about one with me." Kosa Hyuga kept on laughing until he added, "But, seriously, son… What about this… girl?"_

_Uncomfortable with the topic, Neji told his father, "She's nice." And there, he sheepishly smiled and shrugged without a purpose._

_With this, Kosa Hyuga cocked his brow, making his skin fold again, "Nice?" he repeated his words, "Son, you saw a girl and thought she was nice?"_

_"Well, yeah," Neji said, his feet itching to walk around and pace as he stood there in front of his father, "I… I kinda met her in one of the clubs and… she's nice. And I wanted to ask you for advice coz I'd like to go out with her, that's all." And there, Neji bit his lip timidly._

_"Damn, Neji, just because you found a girl 'nice' doesn't mean you can already go out with her! How long have you known each other?"_

_"Some time now, Dad."_

_"Damn, damn, damn, Neji. Why didn't I know of this?"_

_"That's the reason why I'm tellin' you, right?"_

_"You want my advice? Alright, here: Don't look for 'nice' in a girl."_

_As a reaction to his father's words, Neji's lip pointed to the side and he muttered, "I… I don't get you, Dad."_

_Heaving an exasperated sigh, Kosa Hyuga held out his shriveled finger out at his son and stated, "Neji, my boy, I have to remind you: You are my son. I am our mafia's main boss. Everything I own will go to you when I die of this shitty disease of mine—"_

_"Dad, don't say things like that!" Neji hated it when Hizashi talked about dying because of his diabetic hyperosmolar state. He always tried to believe that his Dad would live until he sees him seated as the head of the mafia._

_"Bah, let me continue!" Kosa Hyuga simply snapped back, annoyed at how almost everyone cuts him off nowadays, "Anyway, this is all I want to tell you: I don't want you to marry some fragile bitch you just find somewhere!"_

_Neji was drawn back a little by the sudden sharpness of his father's words._

_"Don't look for love. It'll find you. Plus, nice girls can't take the truth about you, about how you're a mafia boss in the making. I'm not telling you to hitch a gangster, Kami forbid, though. No nice girls, that's all. Get one who has a backbone and, if possible, someone who can handle a gun, kick some ass and trust you despite your status…_

_… You know? Someone like your mother."_

_At the mention of his Mom, Neji couldn't help but grin at her memory. She was the caring woman who served you cookies when your friends came over, but she always has a Berretta tucked down her belt._

_At this, Kosa Hyuga smiled and questioned, "So, you want my full answer? Alright: I don't want you going out with Little Miss Muffet."_

_But, eventually, Neji dated that girl and she became his girlfriend, the very same woman who got shot by the Aburames._

_Damn it, why did his Dad have to be right?_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Well, you're early." Ino greeted Tenten dully when Tenten arrived at the pub at 9:30, "Get to the back. You have about six deliveries and more might come within the day. Get on with it." After that, Ino went back to making her Tamagozake (Mixture of sake, sugar and a raw egg. Awesome cocktail).

But, before Tenten could enter the lockers, Ino added, "By the way, I have your uniform hanging by your locker's handle. Check if it fits. When you have it on, I want you to put on some smoky or light make-up. I'm making it a requirement from now on."

Something told Tenten that she wouldn't like it.

And, once Tenten reached her locker space, she grumbled inaudibly when she spotted the hung outfit that Ino referred to:

A chic midnight blue mini skirt with a frilly hem that went down to two inches above her knee's peak paired with an adorable button-down white blouse that had long sleeves with buttoned-up cuffs and a black-stripe vest that barely covered the white blouse inside with matching heels…

… Ino expects Tenten to make deliveries in it.

Immediately, Tenten swung her locker open and shoved her bag inside. Once she had shut it, she took the outfit and entered the dully-maintained public bathroom, entering a random cubicle and preparing to change.

After pulling her shirt over her head, Tenten unconsciously said out loud, "Neji, don't even think of looking." Then, she spaced out. When she realized what she did, she chuckled and thought, _"Damn, I'm getting too used to having that bastard around."_

As she slipped the skirt to her waist, she couldn't help but ask silently, _"I wonder how Neji's doing without me in the house. I pray that I don't come home, finding it burning to the ground. And he has _got _to stop that twitching of his."_

But, she knew that each time Neji unwillingly flinched, causing his eye to wink, there was a part of her that made her wish he was _really _winking at her…

Buttoning her blouse up, she giggled to herself all of a sudden, recalling how Neji was unable to button up his polo shirt yesterday with one hand. He looked so useless and pathetic in front of her, reminiscing how he looked so dismayed with those frustrated eyes, scrunched up nose and…

… that wonderful six pack…

"What the fuck—!" she shrieked when she finally snapped out of it, "Damn, I gotta stop that…" Finally, she thrust her arms through the vest's arm slots and got out of the cubicle. Meeting her reflection in the mirror, she grunted in frustration when she noticed how her ostrich butt was sticking out like a sore thumb in the skirt she wore.

She ran her hands down her sides and examined them in anger, thinking, _"Gawd, I have huge hips. I'm getting cottage cheese off my diet first." _Once she was done ranting and whining in her thoughts, she leaned towards the mirror in front of her and checked her face for any flaws. Without much thought, she left her old clothes hanging on the cubicle door.

When she was positive that she looked fine, she suddenly got the thought, _"S-Should I check for hickies?"_

At this, her jaw fell and she screamed at her reflection, pointing at the maddened girl she saw face to face with, "Look, Tenten, stop getting all those semi-flirtatious thoughts! It's totally not you! I mean… hickies?! My gawd, where would the hickies come from?! Neji? No fucking way!"

After huffing at her reflection, she paused to contemplate before concluding, suddenly inspecting her neck, _"Well, we'll never know."_

Then, as she ran her hand down her neck, she felt someone's presence near her. Knowing how she was in a public bathroom, she didn't think about it…

… Until she saw the reflection of a man in shades with an odd-looking afro holding onto the shirt she changed from behind her.

Her eyes widened in shock and when she turned to face the man, he had wrung her shirt up and held it like a pair of nunchucks. Tenten was totally speechless. Although she wanted to ask the man who he was, what he was doing with her shirt and _what the hell he was doing in the girl's bathroom_, she had no words to say.

And, without warning, the man lunged for her, locking the wrung shirt around her neck as if choking her, hitting her head onto the glass behind her.

"Ow!" she screamed when her skull crashed against the hard mirror, "What… What're you doing?!" She didn't find the man familiar to the very least and she had her hands trying to push the wrung cloth off of her neck since her breath was getting cut off slowly.

The stranger pushed himself against her, as if intending to crush her on the spot against the now shattered glass behind her. Tenten, on the other hand, felt chilly blood blot somewhere in her scalp and a stinging pain met in her arms, probably from bits of glass that sliced her.

Definitely, the man was stronger than her and as he kept his firm pull on the cloth strangling her, Tenten choked and squeaked in trepidation. She felt tears of fear form in her brown eyes and she found herself calling for help in her quivering voice, "Neji… Help… Neji…"

At this, the stranger smirked and stated, "No Eagle Eye to help you now, huh? Too bad…" And again, he gave the cloth choking her a sharp jerk, making the grip tighter and much more painful. Tenten yelped as it happened and she tried to push the man away, just so she can manage to give Neji's beeper a buzz. But her actions were in vain.

Her screams didn't cease and it was strange how no one could hear her. Finally, she decided to take one of her hands, keeping the other against the cloth in the intention to stall the choke from killing her totally. She'd reach for her phone to buzz Neji and make him get here.

But, when she did, the man noticed and took his grasp from the other end of her shirt to grab her hand and stop her act. When Tenten saw the opportunity, she swiftly swerved to the side, attempting to run out of the washroom and tell Ino about this, but her wrist was well under the stranger's grip.

With a panicky expression written all over her face, hair strands all over the place with the wrung shirt still around her neck loosely, she tried to pull her wrist from his hold. Then, out of desperation to escape, Tenten threw her foot above her head, hitting the man's cheek with her hard heel.

Not expecting this, the stranger found himself getting hit against the same broken mirrors. His face crashed into the pointed glass blades and with that, he gave Tenten an angered glare as he tried to get up. Now, he was absolutely pissed off. As for Tenten, she clutched her thigh and yelled, "My gawd, I never knew that'd hurt, shit!"

Seeing the situation, Tenten wearily thought as she straightened up, _"Damn, I gotta concentrate. I can do this. I get into fights all the time, so why can't I at least try to beat this guy? If I can't, only then will I scream for help. Alright, I'm doing it."_

When the stranger was walking towards her with one of his sunglasses' lens off and a little blood on his cheek, Tenten agilely dove between his legs, past him and now, she was behind him. Finally confident, Tenten slid the wrung shirt from her neck and pulled it onto the man's neck, choking him.

She held on to the stretched cloth, disabling the man for now. She pulled onto the shirt at maximum force and her feet were planted firmly onto his back, making the thug walk backwards frenziedly. He gagged and tugged on to the cloth in alarm, but Tenten didn't let any of that loosen her grip.

Cleverly, Tenten leaned forward a little so she could send his balance to his front. This made the man involuntarily head for the mirrors again. And there, he smashed his face against the shattered glass and concrete wall behind it. At this, he fell onto his back, tired and hurting.

Tenten tried to get him off of her and when she successfully did, she gave the knocked out man a stare before she thought, _"What a mess. Neji should know about this."_

She took her phone from her pocket and dialed Neji's cellphone number. As the rings came, she went on rubbing her aching thigh, recovering from the first high kick she has ever made. Her muscles felt tight and the pangs made her cringe. When Neji hasn't answered in twelve rings, she hung up.

_"Damn, he must be busy," _she thought to herself, _"This is a bad time not to answer, Neji. Please pick up."_

But when she was too preoccupied, the man picked himself up and mouthed in a bellow, "Now you're _really _gonna get it, you bitch…" Finally, his sunglasses were off and his fists seemed prepared for another round.

When Tenten saw this, she gasped in alarm and again, she pocketed her phone and watched the man finally stand in front of her. He wore a mad man's beam, exposing his bleeding gums. Again, without thinking, Tenten snapped at him, "Get one step closer and I'll… I'll really kill you!"

"Oh, yeah?" the man answered, amused at the threat. Smugly, the stranger took out a gun from his pocket then pointed it at Tenten, saying, "I hope you have a gun, too." There, Tenten froze, now afraid and stiff. She was out of antics.

As the man cocked his gun, he said, "Die, bitch." And there, his finger was ready to pull on the trigger…

_Blam._

And there, a red shower explodes from the chest, ending with a dead body falling onto the tiled bathroom floor. Onto the glass, the victim now lies in an eternal silence…

… Good thing it wasn't Tenten.

"I-Ino?!" Tenten exclaimed, shocked at the sudden arrival of her employer. Indeed, Ino stood at the bathroom entrance with a rifle at hand, the smoking end pointed at the sunglasses-wearing man Tenten dealt with. With her heart beat pacing, Tenten couldn't help but scream, "What the hell is going on?!"

At this, Ino put down the rifle, her face completely passive and cold, then approached the now dead stranger and recognized him, "Gawd, one of Shino's subordinates again. How many more bastards do I have to deal with? Tsk. Pathetic bullshits."

"Excuse me!" Tenten shrieked at Ino, confused and still panicky from the situation, "Do you mean to tell me that you know this guy? Who is he? Who's Shino? And why did he attack me? And since when did you have a rifle?"

"Damn, Tenten, you ask too much!" Ino snapped at her worn-out employee, "But, here's the deal: This guy is one of Shino's men. Shino is the current mob boss of the Aburame Black Widow Mafia. I think they're after you because of Eagle Eye."

Hearing this, Tenten's eyes grew and her jaw dropped once again… and her breathing seemed to stop for a minute, "Oh my gawd! Who the hell are you? You know about Eagle Eye and the Aburames? Oh my gawd… my gawd…"

Rolling her eyes, Ino neared Tenten and pat her shoulder as if telling her to calm down, "Look, you had better shut up about this and the other stuff that I'm about to tell you, alright?" Her cerulean eyes didn't look girly and perky today. In fact, they seemed to swallow her like a whirlpool.

After Tenten nodded in agreement, Ino began, "I'm a part-time weaponry dealer. Mafias, the secret government organization and many other shit heads out there buy from me. They pay me and I give them what I want, so I know them well. Eagle Eye is the guy hanging out with you nowadays…

… Dang, Tenten, are you two an item?"

"No! I just owe him money and—"

"Shit, you do? Good luck with that. Anyway, you know about how the president's skeleton keys to the sewers, towers, city steam tunnels and all those unreachable authorized-personnel-only places is missing, right?"

"Of course. Police were dumbfounded."

With that, Ino smirked, her lips curving into a sly grin. She thrust her hand into her pocket and took out a metal ring that held onto two keys that had the president's seals. Ino had them. In fact, Ino _stole _them.

At this, Tenten couldn't help but halt her breathing. She gulped and murmured, "Oh my gawd. As of now, my head can only take so much. Shit."

Instantly, Ino pocketed the keys again and told Tenten, "Remember, not a word, okay? Now, I have no idea why the Aburames are after you, but I'm pretty much sure that it's because of Eagle Eye. You owe Eagle money, right? Maybe they want to get rid of you so Eagle won't get the money you owe him, which he needs." But, she shrugged in the end and added, "But the hell do I know, anyway."

Next to tattered, Tenten chuckled in an insane manner as she repeated, "Aburames? Eagle Eye? Ha… Haha… Ha… My gawd, I never knew that it was such a small, small, small world… Oh gawd…" And there, she fell onto the floor, out cold. Lamely, she fainted out of information overload, most probably, and trauma.

At this, Ino snickered and mumbled, "Shit, Eagle Eye has one feisty and bitchy chick. I can't wait to tell Shika."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_"Shit, Lee was right."_

As Neji, Rose and Neji's hacker, Kabuto, sat in the dim, fortune-telling booth, the silence felt weird yet Neji couldn't help but think, _"I can't believe it. Lee was right. I looked at Rose a number of times already and I haven't had a stomach cramp from hormones ever since."_

When he should be concentrating on decoding Uchiha's card and forging the name, he was thinking of hormones yet again.

Kabuto typed at full-speed as his advanced technology scanned Uchiha's card. With the PSP theme song of DOTA playing in the background, Neji and Rose knew how much of a nerd this Kabuto guy was. But, hey, if he can help them, why not hire him, right?

"I have gained tentative access to the activation chips inside the information circulation," Kabuto told them, squinting at the laptop screen as he shoved his glasses back into position on the bridge of his nose, "All I need now is to deactivate it for the meantime so the bank's technical, tracking, transmitting and reading system won't be aware of both the minor and altering revisions undergone in the last 48 hours."

Hearing this, Neji buried his face in his hands while Rose grinned sheepishly as she told Kabuto, "Uhm… in plain English, please?"

Seeing how 'slow' these people were, Kabuto said, "Just give me 15.76 minutes. I'll have the code unlocked soon."

In the tiny teepee-like stall, the three of them felt like sardines and whenever a customer passed by to get his or her fortune foretold, Kabuto would poke his head out of the only opening in the stand with a wizard's hat on, saying to every customer, "You will lose weight today."

It was so weird how he earns more than 200 dollars daily.

As Kabuto busily did his work, Rose turned to Neji and questioned him, "So, how's life with Tenny?"

"Fine…" was Neji's shy answer.

Seeing this, Rose smirked and teased, "Fine? Hmm, from the look you have, it seems to be better than just fine. Intimacy? Any of that? I bet there has been. Just tell me, Eagle, and I'll stop bothering you about it. Just admit it. Lee told me of the handcuff incident…"

"I hated that day," Neji snapped at her, folding his arms across his chest at this, "Do you know how much we were suffering, Rose? I was forced into sitting outside the bathroom door with my hand wedged between the door and wall whenever she needs to dress up. And, don't remind me of what we did last night, damn it…"

"_Last night?!_" she half-screamed, making Kabuto flinch slightly till she went on, "Oh my gawd, I knew it! There _was _intimacy! Oh my gawd, Eagle, you little lover boy! That is so, so romantic of you to actually let that happen—"

"No! Damn it, Rose, I wouldn't even think of doing _that_ to her!" Neji opposed, despite the fact that his hormones go nuts around Tenten, "All we did last night was drink a little and… dance…"

"Ahaha! Oh my gawd!" Rose reacted, nearly squealing in delight, "This is too much! Dance?! Oh my gawd, you two danced?! This is so awesome!"

Clearly, Kabuto was getting pissed off by the minute with Rose squealing girlishly. His face was sour and he looked like he was ready to kick Rose out to make her shut up. It was just that Rose was sure Neji and Tenten would one day get a little close, but she never expected them to actually _dance… _ever!

Beside the cheery girl, Neji couldn't help but bury his face in his hands again and think in irritation, _"This is the last time I'm telling her about my days with Tenten."_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_She blinked her eyes open, finally waking up. She stretched her arms snugly, feeling secure amid the duvet and pillows all around her as she lay in bed. A small, satisfied smile was spread on her face and she couldn't help but moan in delight._

_The morning sun warmed her skin as it shone through her window. She pushed her blanket off of her legs as she still lay on the spot. She could feel the nice, fuzzy sensation in her stomach as she once again stretched her arms like a sweet kitten._

_Her eyes remained gently shut as she lay still, absorbing the morning freshness. Soon, she smiled thinly as she felt a tender touch brush against her cheek, near her lip. She was positive that it was only her loving man, her husband, giving her a morning kiss._

_She giggled in glee as the soft kisses trailed down her neck and with every mild stroke, she didn't want any of the dawn love to stop more and more. Still with her eyes closed, she felt his strong arms wrap around her, bringing her closer to him._

_But, then, it occurred to her: Who is this marvelous guy that she finally fell in love with? Who is this man whom she's sharing her fairytale ending with?_

_And so, she turned to her right to see who he was. And there, she came face to face with him, his brilliant, lavender eyes locking with hers._

_"Good Morning…"_

Instantly, Tenten lifted her head up, waking up from the dream. Her breathing was quick, as if she was relieved from seeing a ghost. She felt herself shiver and with this, she rubbed her arms and whispered to herself in horror, "Oh my gawd, I don't know if I should consider that a dream or a nightmare…"

At this, Tenten looked around and realized that she was now seated in a booth in the pub, alone with a cup of warm tea on the table she laid her head on. All she remembers was falling over after Ino saved her from Shino's henchman.

When Ino spotted her finally seated up, the blond walked to her and questioned, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… I'm okay… Yeah… I'm fine."

With that, Ino smiled and said, "Glad to hear that. Look, you got a pretty rough time back there, so I gave the first three deliveries to another deliveryman. I let you sleep for a while so you could… well, rest a little and get over the 'trauma'."

"So, you mean I've been asleep in this booth for some time already?"

"Just about an hour and a half. Don't worry about it. If other people saw you asleep, they probably thought you just drank too much. I made you something to drink to help you recover from that nasty headache of a morning you had. Tell me when you're ready to do deliveries, okay?"

As Ino walked off, Tenten took a look at the warm beverage before her. To calm her senses, she downed half of it and smacked her lips as she did. When the taste of the drink got to her, she concluded, _"Quentao." _

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The man picked up the phone and hastily stated, "79 crashed, _mademoiselle_."

"Bastard. The next time I see that useless man, I want him to be _eating dirt and blood._ Another attempt never hurt, though."

"Tomorrow morning?"

"As soon as possible, I wish, but if I have to wait that long to eliminate them, fine."

"Didn't you say you had a—"

"I do. But I have a traitor down my belt."

"… I see. Well, I'll try to see to it that it'd be carried out carefully."

_Clack._

_Ring._

"Send 'Smog' soon. Mademoiselle wants an 'accident'."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"I never thought Kabuto would fail…" Neji told Rose as they walked side-by-side, "We spent the whole day waiting for him to decode the card and we end up with nothing. He's been doing his job for me for years. Why, when I was a kid, Kabuto't be the one who'd give me cheats to my computer games."

"Well, chill, Eagle. Kabuto said the security was too high. Remember how Uchiha's touchy about safety and security. Don't blame Kabuto."

"I'm not. I'm just frustrated to find out that Kabuto… _failed_."

"You make it sound like it's a crime to commit mistakes."

"Mafias don't have time for mistakes when we have nepotism and genocide along with seldom fratricide, matricide, parricide, sororicde and uxoricide to deal with in almost every generation that we go through. It's driving everyone, especially me, crazy, damn it."

"How about fungicide?"

Hearing the juvenile comment, Neji rolled his eyes and replied, "Well, maybe _you'd _have to deal with that, but not me." And as he laughed, Rose couldn't help but bat his head forward in irritation.

"From the sound of your complain," Rose started as she and Neji walked down the sidewalk in the wind and drizzles with Uchiha's ATM card in her purse, "your life can turn into a bloodbath any time. Are you all mafia people like that? Killing and killing until you get the title, power and money you all want?"

"I have no interest in my father's fortune."

"Yeah, right." Rose snorted, sarcastically implying Neji's 'innocence', "I bet you get tempted sometimes to just stick a gun behind your father's head and—"

"Hey, I'm not like that. I'm the kind who'd actually want his father to live longer so the damn title 'Caged Bird Mafia's head boss' won't land on my head so soon. On the day I get that title, _I _could be the victim of all those –cides, especially with all my relatives envying my father's position."

Hearing this, Rose pouted and mentioned, "Do mafia bosses' wives get harmed?"

Neji cocked his brow at the question and he reluctantly replied, "If they're not careful, I guess. Without a wife, a mob boss can't have a future for his mafia, so it's some sort of weird voluntary requirement the men have to go through. It's a pain, but that's life."

"Aw, poor Tenny. She could get hurt when you two are finally married, huh?"

"Not really. If Tenten and I get married, I'll—" Stupid Hyuga doesn't know what he's saying anymore. "No! No!" he took his words back, "I don't have any plans on getting married! Cheers to being single, that's my motto! And, damn, Rose, I don't plan on getting married to Tenten _at all_!"

As Neji tried to take back the statement he made, Rose couldn't help but cackle like a crone in the middle of the pedestrian lane as they crossed the street. She could do this all day and not get bored to the very least.

Rose Pierce- 2. Eagle Eye- 0.

"Well," Rose added before parting ways with Neji at the next curb, "If ever you change your mind and decide to get married, ring me. I'll bombard you with the cutest and most creative proposal techniques you'll ever know!" She heaved a light-hearted sigh and whispered, "But, nothing really beats how Sasuke proposed to me."

Interested, Neji smirked and told her, "Humor me."

She smiled dreamily as she sighed again and began quickly, "Aside from being an international government spy, I was a newscaster. Of course, Sasuke would accompany me to the network during my broadcasts and all. Then, one day, about early November… Do you know what a TelePrompTer is?"

After a few thoughts, Neji said, "Is that the screen next to the camera that rolls what you have to say, like a digital script?"

"Yeah, that," Rose said, nodding, as they neared the curb, "Anyway, we were already on and I started the broadcast as usual: 'Good Morning, I'm Rose Pierce and today, we have breaking news'. I shifted my eyes to the TelePrompTer and read out loud like always. 'On New Year's Eve, I'd like—'. Then, I stopped. Damn, it wasn't my script!"

Neji chuckled at this and asked, "Well… what was the statement on the TelePrompTer?"

Remembering the moment, Rose continued, "The statement was: On New Year's Eve, I'd like us to get married. We'd have a double reason to celebrate the start of every year.' Then, Sasuke was standing beside the TelePrompTer, smiling at me. I cried in the middle of the studio and we had to go off the air for a few minutes."

At this, Neji laughed at loud and exclaimed, "Man, he sure got you off-guard. I assume you said yes?"

"I'd be a fool to say no. But, you know how things ended." She unconsciously grinned again and added, "If there's one thing a girl loves, it's surprises. Sweet surprises she'll never forget."

And with that, once they arrived at the curb, Neji swiftly turned to the left as Rose walked to the right. As they waved goodbye, Rose couldn't help but yell to Neji, "If ever you decide to propose to Tenten, you can use that method if ever she becomes a newscaster one day!"

Instinctively, Neji gazed upwards as thunder bellowed through and through. He inspected the sky, seeing signs of possible rainfall in the next few hours. He finally concluded…

_"I'd better pick Tenten up…"_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Five-five-nine-seven-two-six-one.

_Ring._

"Master, they have it."

"Excellent. How thoughtful of them. Got what we need?"

He referred to a slip of paper he had at hand and stated, "214365. Ask me and I say those two are idiots to make something like this."

"Good work. Estimation?"

"We'll have him soon."

"Marvelous. Eliminate the subject."

"Two million bid, sir?"

"Make it a four. And correction: Eliminate the subject_s_."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Walking home, delivery-girl?"

The question was shot at Tenten as she took her bag from her locker. Indeed, even if she only made four out of nine deliveries today, she was totally worn out. Ino happened to be passing by the lockers when she saw Tenten. Of course, the blond couldn't resist not talking to her new employee.

Tenten merely nodded as a reply to the question, "My car broke down the other day and I don't know anyone who can fix it."

"It's raining. Real hard."

"Oh? How hard?"

"There's a typhoon coming, I think."

"But, it's the middle of summer."

"Anything can happen in our little world."

Hearing this, Tenten heaved a sigh and answered, "I can't do anything. I have to brave the rain and wind, then."

"In _that_?" Ino mentioned, pointing at the uniform Tenten currently wore, "It's either you get someone to pick you up or you stay here till the rain gets lighter."

With the offer, Tenten immediately shook her head and explained, "I can't stay. I have to get home right away. Someone's waiting for me and it'd be rude to keep them waiting, wouldn't it?"

"Ah, your boyfriend. I understand."

Tenten failed to correct Ino this time with _Acquaintance_.

At this, Ino snorted and questioned her, "Damn, girl, what kind of a boyfriend do you have? He's not going to pick you up?"

"I… didn't ask him to."

"Good boyfriends don't need their girls to ask them for anything. They should know what you want or need before you even ask for it."

With this, Tenten giggled and remarked, "Seriously, Ino, he's not my boyfriend, anyway. Remember: I owe him money. We've only been together for… what, less than a week or so?"

"Eagle Eye Hyuga can make a pretty awesome boyfriend." Ino confessed, folding her arms across her chest, leaning on one of the lockers beside Tenten, "He used to have a girlfriend. You probably know about her. Gawd, everyone wanted to kill the bitch out of envy. He took care of her so lovingly, as if he'd die with her if she died."

Tenten declares it to herself: Talking about Neji and his ex isn't _that _pleasant to her ears.

As she shut her locker door, Tenten heaved a sigh and said, slightly disappointed for some reason, "Well, I'm off, Ino. Thank you for giving me this job and… okay, I love the uniform." After a forced smile, Tenten slung her messenger bag over her shoulder and made her way to the pub entrance/exit.

Pushing herself against the door, she went out into the pouring rain with no umbrella or jacket. The traffic made her groan in exasperation and the wet, sultry feeling was in the air, sticking to her revoltingly. Then, something took her by surprise…

"Yo."

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

With the greeting, Neji drew back and chuckled, "Came by to… Well, it was raining and I knew you didn't bring an umbrella… Though maybe you'd want me to pick you up or something, you know? But, from the greeting I got, I'd better head home before you pulverize me for… meeting you here and—"

"N-No, it's not that…" she squeaked as he stood in front of her under an umbrella between the raindrops, "I… just didn't expect you to be here. Got me surprised."

With that, Neji beamed at her, showing his teeth through the dull, gray city downpour. And when the awkward silence overwhelmed them too much, she finally joined him under the umbrella, splashing the puddles as she walked past with him.

Again, the stomach cramps came back for Neji. _"Damn, damn, damn!"_

Both of them took hold of the umbrella handle, their fingers barely a few inches away. While Tenten's eyes were locked to what was ahead, Neji couldn't help but lower his gaze, down at her clothes and he felt a fiery sore grow in his stomach again.

"W-What are you wearing?" Neji shyly questioned, trying not to sound too… concerned. When she heard him, Tenten looked up at him with her sparkling eyes, quietly squeaking before finally answering him without hesitation.

"It's the pub's uniform," Tenten told him, still staring up at him, "I know it looks disgusting, but do I have a choice? After all, I think my boss is a whore, too. But, don't tell her I said that." With her statement, Tenten planned to laugh amid the pitter-patters, but the giggles refused to come out…

… because she was too busy looking into his lavender eyes…

When she blinked, returning to reality, she went on, "So, there. The stupid skirt gets snagged everywhere and the blouse's material is too thin to keep me warm. Obviously, vests are supposed to keep you warmer, but this one doesn't even serve its purpose. Plus, the heels are killing my feet. And the make-up makes my face itch…"

But, as she spoke, Neji couldn't help but simply stare back at her, fortunately nowhere below her collarbone. He was noticing the fine structure of her small face, from the porcelain cheeks to the hypnotizing iris her lashes towered over. And those, tiny, pink, glittering and luscious baby lips…

_"I wonder…" _Neji suddenly thought without realizing it, _"I wonder how it feels like to kiss those lips of hers…"_

When she saw his somehow flattering stare, she found it irresistible to blush and warily smile, slightly looking away. "So," she started a new topic, "How was your day, anyway? Errands went well? Any problems or such? Did you have an okay day or what?"

Of course, he was both incapable and forbidden of ever telling her about the two thugs Uchiha sent to get him this morning. He didn't want to tell her that the bruise on his lip was from the first thug and the second thug managed to burn a scar down his shoulder. And, with the thought back, Neji remembered Lee's kiss…

… Mental image scarring him…

"Fine…" was all he could tell her, another lie in another day, "You?"

But, Tenten knew it was urgent and important to tell him of what happened to her in work, "This morning, I was dressing up in the bathroom in the pub and then this guy in sunglasses popped out of nowhere and started choking me!" Her features came out as intensified and still panicky.

"I think he wanted to suffocate me or something. One thing's for sure: He wanted me… dead." The words came out of her dryly and very much choked, as if recalling the moment made her trauma come back, "If I hadn't gotten my nerve back there, if Ino hadn't come in, I'd probably be… Damn, Neji, it was so scary…"

Neji felt her shiver a little. He knew how it felt to be living all nice and luxurious in one minute, then in the next minute, random people are trying to kill you. His first ambush is still a great trauma to him, remembering all the blood on his hands, his clothes… all over the attacker… everywhere, there was a splatter of crimson…

Feeling her pain for now, Neji cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder as she shuddered some more. He mumbled comfortingly, "Hey, it's over, right? Chill. Look, this'll be the last time I'll leave you all alone for the whole day, so I'll be here to look after you from now on, okay?"

She nodded and felt tears of anxiety well in her eyes. But she plainly grinned and felt his hand hold her tightly. For now, she was just glad that Neji was finally here for her.

"But how did you manage to…?" The right question couldn't come out of Neji, as if he had forgotten what he wanted to ask her. But, Tenten knew what he wished to question, so she readily replied to him honestly, remembering to keep the secret about Ino being his own weaponry dealer.

"I… I just thought it over and did what I could," Tenten told him, trying to recall the hurried scenes that flashed before her eyes, "I remember kicking him… that's why my thigh's still aching. And… Ino came in with a gun and shot the man. She called the police and everything was… done." She needed to assure Neji that reinforcements came, when in truth, she doesn't even know how Ino got rid of the body.

"How are you now? Still scared?"

His question didn't catch her off-guard, but her only response was too instinctively stick nearer to Neji under the umbrella, making their arms rub and eventually press against each other. The falling rain fell harder and under the black umbrella, Tenten felt secure and safer since he was around, anyway.

And as they walked through the rain, Neji grasped the realization that Tenten tried to take on the thug on her own, relying on her 'street-fighter' skills, ability to pack a punch, nerve to fight back, taunts and perseverance. If he knew better, he should be impressed with her…

It was funny how he ended up having to watch over a girl like her. Fate has stupid plans.

_"Don't look for love. It'll find you. Plus, nice girls can't take the truth about you, about how you're a mafia boss in the making. I'm not telling you to hitch a gangster, Kami forbid, though. No nice girls, that's all. Get one who has a backbone and, if possible, someone who can handle a gun, kick some ass and trust you despite your status…"_

Damned Neji couldn't see that love has already found him.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Listen."

"What is it?"

"Kosa Hyuga gets a hot rod at dawn."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Suspense Questions!:**

**What did the anonymous voice mean by 'Kosa Hyuga gets a hot rod at dawn'? When will the Angel of Kami or Konan decide to strike? Why is Shino trying to kill Tenten? Is Ino actually a bad guy in the end? Will Kosa Hyuga's advice to his son actually help? Will Neji admit love and give Hanabi his birthright instead? When will they manage to decode Sasuke's ATM code? Will more of Uchiha's thugs come to get Neji? **

**I'm sure you have other questions, and I hope they'll be answered soon.**

**Kankuro: Where d'you get the information on male hormones, anyway? I mean, you're not a man…**

**Me: I have guy friends who experience it all the time. I'd like to see _you _get stomach cramps from puberty! –laughs-**

**Kankuro: Don't make fun of it, damn you!**

**Me: Don't worry, I know all about it, remember?**

**Kankuro: -mumble-**

**Me: Oh my gawd, 41 pages! And 13,067 words! New record!**


	10. Day Seven: Dreams, Fear & Kisses

**Kankuro: … What the hell are you doing?**

**Me: Cooking.**

**Kankuro: -speechless- Oh. –slaps hand onto my forehead-**

**Me: Hey! What the heck—?**

**Kankuro: Weird. You're not feverish…**

**Me: What made you think I was?**

**Kankuro: Wake up, Ruki. You don't cook. In fact, you can't cook. You just sit around the house, ordering everyone else to do your commands like some spoiled brat.**

**Me: I just decided to make dinner tonight. No specific reason. Don't worry, you're having your share.**

**Kankuro: Oh. –silence- Stay there and wait for a moment…**

**Me: What? Why? And where are you going?**

**Kankuro: I'm off to get my cellphone. The minute I take a bite out of your dish and start to gag and suffer from food poisoning, I have 911 on speed dial on number 2.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and… fine, I don't cook.**

**NEW FEATURE: Chapter Summary-**

**"His words took her by surprise, like this morning's sniper shots. Unexpected, he had complimented her in the most simplest of ways. It has to be an accident. It had to be. It wasn't like him to do shitty things like that.**

**Maybe, just maybe, there was something in the wine. Yes, it had to be that, because he was calling her beautiful and she wanted him to say it again."**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_The blade threatened him silently, without a word, as it shimmered near his neck. Throughout the whole negotiation, it's been held there, ready to kill him with an ear-to-ear slash. Of course, the captive couldn't do anything but listen to his prosecutors._

"…_Do we have an agreement?" an evil-eyed man standing in front of the calm and sickly victim questioned as he had his arms confidently folded against his chest. His eyes glared straight at mimics and the same stare bore through his._

"_I said, do we have an agreement?" He repeated impatiently when there was no response._

"_Through all my years in this business, this has been the shittiest offer yet. It's practically worst than a no-win situation."_

_After clicking his tongue in irritation, the capturer growled, "You have a choice, you idiot. Option A or Option B?"_

"_How abut Option C, where I make you burn in hell, huh?"_

_At the comment, a punch was sent down the defending captive's cheek, making him groan and fall onto the bunk he sat on. Blood dripped from the ill man's lips, making him cough due to his state. The tiny-faced little boy at the corner of the room couldn't help but cringe as the man was pulled up from his fall, the blade positioned under his chin again._

_His eyes glimmered with fright and he found it unbelievable that all he could do was watch and stand still as everything happened in front of him, and he did nothing to do about it._

"_Shall we try this again?" the man told the moaning and hurt captive before him, "Option A or Option B?"_

_Still, the bleeding man shook his head and choked, "Neither."_

_With his nostrils dilating in anger, the man's temper ran thin at the captive's stubborn attitude._

"_I don't care if you kill me now," the captive snapped softly in fury as the blade seemed to poke his skin, "You've already killed Aimi long ago. What else can you take away from me now?"_

_Hearing the sudden statement of self-pity, it amused the prosecutor to no zenith, "How about your own flesh and blood?"_

_At this, the young boy's eyes grew and his adrenaline heightened. Eyes were shot at him and if only he could, he'd run from this place and escape this hell. But he didn't want to leave his father all alone in this room with the demons all around._

"_Don't touch my son!"_

"_Well, if that's what you don't want to happen, I suggest you pick an option now."_

_To the captive, it was no use. He benefited from none of the options. And, sharp as ever, the old and wrinkled man shot forward and grumbled, gritting his teeth as he did in spite, "I said," he growled with a scowl and a terrifying and ominous tone, "Burn. In. Hell."_

_And there, the merciless man gave the signal, motioning the thug who held the knife by Kosa Hyuga's throat to finish the job._

_On that moment, the lad's legs felt numb. A gut feeling ached in him and all he did was instinctively shield his eyes with his tiny hands, trying to conceal himself from the nightmare before him. The last thing he saw before his world turned black was his father's somnolent frown… _

_In a second's time, the knife slid smoothly across skin and muscle, spilling vermilion rain all over the place. On the spot, dying Kosa Hyuga shut his eyes in distress as he fell back, still and lifeless forever, silent…_

"_Now, kid, it's your turn…"_

_A shrill scream escaped him and before he knew it, a firm hold ran through him, sending a stinging scar through his chest…_

"Neji! Wake up!"

Hearing the panic-stricken call, Neji sat up immediately, beads of cold sweat rolling down his pale yet flustered features. He felt his skin crawl and while he tried to catch his breath in fright, he felt her hand grip his. It was as if she's been thinking of what was happening to him for the last few minutes.

"My gawd, are you alright?" she questioned him, near to hugging him out of relief, "You overslept! It's already 9 o'clock! And what's wrong? What's with the sweating and all? Were you having a freak-show nightmare? And, goodness, there are tears running down the corners of your eyes! What's wrong?" Simply placed, her voice ached with concern.

As his chest heaved up and down, he looked around frantically, eyeing everything before him. He and Tenten were in his tent out in her pocket garden, like always. Twinkle-top was curled up in one corner of the tent and everything seemed pretty normal.

Not knowing what to say, Neji simply exhaled and threw his gaze on Tenten, who returned a worried look at him. "N-Nothing," was his plain and very untrue answer, "I'm fine. Very."

"Damn hell, you're not!" she exclaimed, more of comforting him rather than scolding him, "There was something wrong with you, I can tell! I was worried when I didn't find you in the table to have breakfast with Lee and me. When I came to check on you, I—"

"You didn't need to check on me," Neji snapped at her, pulling his hand from hers, "I'm fine. Get a grip."

With that, he threw the blanket on him to the side and pushed himself out of the sleeping bag like every morning. It was very much unbelievable that he managed to over-sleep. It was already part of his everyday life, waking up at half-past six. In years, this has been the first time he missed the half-past six alarm.

As for Tenten, she found it unbelievable that a guy like him was having… nightmares. He imagined little kids having those kinds of things, but him? Each day is a nightmare for him, more likely, with the people trying to do away with him. If this was so, why did _this _nightmare almost kill him?

From what she saw, he looked like he's been running, as if for his life. It was as if he's been going through one of those times when your legs go gelatinous and your breath runs out in a blink of an eye. It was the unjust kind of situation where the monster behind you will finally get you…

"Excuse me," Neji murmured as he crouched on his feet, hastily walking out of the tent in his bare feet and nightclothes, his same rugged cargos and shirt. Seeing him like this, Tenten tried to catch up, getting up on her feet to follow him.

Once out of the tent, Neji took out his Blackberry and hurriedly dialed for his assistant's number, his finger shaking in anxiety as he did. Tenten watched him do so and in a moment's time, he was talking to his apprentice yet again, not minding Tenten's presence.

"Shit, you gotta tell me my Dad's alive!" were the first words Neji blurt out before his assistant on the other end had managed to greet the caller. The words got Tenten taken aback, too, and it made her wonder if it had something to do with Neji's nightmare…

"Damn, Eagle Eye, calm down," the voice on the other end replied coolly, "Of course Kosa Hyuga's alive, you idiot. In fact, he's still in his bedroom, asleep like a log. What made you ask, huh?"

Hearing the good news, Neji heaved a much-relieved sigh and mumbled, "Oh… nothing, I just… got worried for a minute back there. Yeah… Thanks, a'ight?" And there, he hung up reluctantly, pocketing his phone again.

When she realized what it was all about, Tenten smiled and approached him, patting his shoulder comfortingly, "Gawd, Neji, is this what it's all about? You thought a simple nightmare actually happened? Seriously, I—"

"I'll dress up in a minute. Your shift starts in an hour and I don't want you to be late."

And there, he shoved Tenten's fragile hand from his broad shoulder as he walked into his tent to get a new set of clothes. Even so, Tenten couldn't help but think…

"Damn, for a mob boss, he's touchy when it comes to his family."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_Shit, you gotta tell me my Dad's alive!_

_Damn, Eagle Eye, calm down. Of course Kosa Hyuga's alive, you idiot. In fact, he's still in his bedroom, asleep like a log. What made you ask, huh?_

_Oh… nothing, I just… got worried for a minute back there. Yeah… Thanks, a'ight?_

_Click._

"Suspicions, anxiety…?"

"Distress, sir…"

"I see. Well, no worries… No one'll know."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The walk to work was dull, having the sultry weather enveloping them. As she walked ahead of Neji, Tenten felt a little insecure and somehow naked without him strolling beside her, not tailing her. Usually, they walked to work side by side, but today, he was lacking behind.

Out of curiosity, she'd turn her head to check on how he was. Was his stupid nightmare still bothering him? It's pretty juvenile. Whenever she looks at him, she finds him throwing his gaze onto the ground with his pockets shoved into his pockets, like some degraded fool.

As for Neji, he never knew that Tenten was often checking up on him. He was still in the state of recovering from his hormonal 'disease' and every time he gazed upwards to see if Tenten was still in front of him, he'd only notice how the skirt makes her ass seem seductive…

"_Shit. Hormones again? When will this hell stop?"_

As they got farther through the blocks and streets, Neji felt the need to walk nearer to Tenten since the crowd was getting more packed. More people were pouring in, mixing with the other pedestrians and passersby. There was a feeling he got that he could lose Tenten in the intensity of the crowd, so he made an effort to stay by her side.

Irritably, the people kept on sweeping in, compressing in the middle of the sidewalk enough to make you feel their blinks vibrate within your league. Every accidental shove, every crunch on the foot and every cough on his face seemed unbearable, especially since he had almost lost sight of Tenten…

…until he realized that someone was pushed out of the crowd, sending the poor person to the street.

"Oh, shit!" Neji yelped as he could only watch Tenten roll into the middle of the black-tainted road, moaning. Instinctively, Neji swam his way through the crowd in the effort to rush to her side. His movements seemed to be swallowed into an invisible void as the people screamed in panic at the sight of Tenten. Then, there was a loud and resonating honk from nearby…

A lorry was coming her way.

At this, Tenten could only shriek and defenselessly put her arms before her as she lay on the cold ground. The headlights grew brighter before her eyes and without much thought, she held her arms over her head, sobbing and waiting for the truck's wheels to crush her.

The horror-struck onlookers on the sidewalk were filled with fear for her life, but they only stood there, immobile. As for Neji, he still tried to push his way out of the crowd and into the street. But he felt like it was too late.

As the lorry passed the passersby, there was a tugging sense in Neji that made him sick. Either it was a feeling of pity or a feeling of emptiness. The dry starch that parched his mouth seemed to grow thick with every beat.

"_Shit, shit, shit!" _the echoing curse felt like a pang. His sight seemed to be blurred as everything turned into nothingness. His world had turned blank.

Onlookers had negative reactions and alarmed shrills…

"Oh my gawd!"

"The girl!"

"Eeeek! Save her!"

"It's too late!"

With this, Neji wanted to scream her name over and over again, but nothing came out. It felt the world had been torn apart. Like he was dead, too. Cold, breathless, lifeless, empty…

But, soon, as the lorry passed, gasps and exclamations came about.

They got the shock of their life when they found the girl still curled up and safe.

"Sh-She's fine!"

"She's safe! Oh, goodness, call an ambulance just in case!"

"Oh my gawd, she's not dead!"

"What a miracle!"

Seeing this, Neji couldn't help but feel relief and a dumbfound air amid the commotion. Immediately, he started to draw away from the gathered crowd and rushed to her side, as she still remained still and scared.

"Hey, Tenten!" Neji called to her with a choked tone, "Get up, you! Get up! You're alright… perfectly fine!" It was a very odd yet rare miracle. If it was analyzed, it was understood that the wheels didn't crush Tenten. Instead, she remained low as the lorry passed her by. Being under the large vehicle, she stayed unharmed.

Her sniffles grew louder as Neji tried to make her stand up. "Tenten, Tenten!" his voice resonated in her ear, giving her the thought that it was the last thing she'd heard, "Get up! Tenten, come on, you're fine! Please get up!"

Finally, Tenten pulled her head up from the ground and looked around in surprise. _"My gawd, I'm alright?" _she thought in shock, _"What the fuck…?"_

With that, Neji bit his lip as he grabbed hold of her arm and questioned her, "Shocking?"

"D-Definitely… I… I thought I was dead for sure…" she admitted, slightly shivering as she looked around, specifically at the crowd. In vain, she tried to see who it was who had pushed her violently enough to send her down the street, but she'd never know, of course. Everyone seemed to look the same, like their faces blended together.

"Same here," Neji mumbled as she finally was on her feet with a few cars halted before them, "But I'm glad you aren't dead, anyway…" At this, he held onto her shaking hand, firmly grasping it as if in protection.

"Did you trip over a flat surface and end up tumbling into the street?" Neji asked her, not the least sarcastic and very much maddened in the sense that she was almost killed a second ago. His grip on her was tightening, as if she was slipping away.

The commotion grew and police were soon coming their way. Seeing this, Neji's breath quickened. Police knew who he was. Chances are, he'd get caught once someone recognizes him. So, hastily, Neji pulled Tenten by the wrist, pulling her into the crowd again.

"_This is bad," _Neji thought as Tenten tried to catch up from behind, _"If Uchiha's still after me and is already involving Tenten into this, the day's going to be long." _But as he remembered how Hinata's trying to get rid of him along with the Aburames, he added, _"A really long day."_

Tenten was hushed the whole time, simply silently thanking the heavens that she was alive. She didn't know what to say, and everything she wants to say was at the tip of her tongue, held back by nothing. With this, she pulled closer to Neji and questioned in a shocked tone, "Someone… pushed me. I know… I could tell"

"Well, we'll never catch the bullshit," Neji exclaimed, half-crazy, his voice choked with happiness, "Gawd, I thought I lost you there…"

As they passed through everything and everyone, nearing the pub, all Tenten could think of was how nearly missed the accident was. And she enevr got to know who was the jerk that actually had the nerve to push an innocent civilian into danger.

Everything didn't feel like a coincidence or an accident.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"I paid you enough, right? Then, kill them!"

"The hit-and-run plan was miscalculated…"

"Then, do a direct hit! Just don't get caught."

_Click._

"Fuck this…"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"… What?"

"I said you're doing bartender duty. Starting today."

It was a little hard to believe. Days ago, even before she was employed, Ino said she'd make a good guard for the pub. Eventually, she was 'instantly promoted' into becoming a delivery girl. Now, she's 'promoted' again? And this time, she's a bartender.

"Ino, no offense, but…" Tenten tried to oppose of the decision without getting fired, "Remember when I first tried to get a job in the pub? One of the reasons why you didn't get me immediately was my lack of… experience with shakers, crushed ice and alcoholic what-hell-are-these-shits."

At this, Ino snorted and commented, "If you can make warm milk for yourself in the middle of the night, then you can make a cocktail." She took out a pocket-sized book from her front pocket and added, "This is a complete recipe book for cocktails. Try practicing. Good luck."

Forcefully, Ino slammed the paperback onto the counter in front of Tenten then left, walking into the storage room. At this, Tenten whimpered, picking the book up, "How am I supposed to memorize and master all these crappy cocktails within one shift?" Slightly frustrated, she sighed.

Leaning on the counter, Neji couldn't help but chuckle and comment, "It's really simple, actually. The only necessary thing you have to know is the difference between port wine and Inglenook, which is easy to know, actually." With that, he smirked without much reason.

"I don't _know _what the difference is between port and Ingenvo-whatever!" she exclaimed as she heaved an irritated breath, tugging on the loose strands tucked behind her ears. She leaned onto the counter, too, beside Neji and muttered, "So, do you know anything about this?"

"I wouldn't survive if I didn't."

Unsure of what he meant, she then asked, "Well, can you help me out with this?"

"Fuck. Knew that was coming. Why not, though?"

Hearing this, a smile crept onto Tenten's jaw and she entered the counter's interior, saying, "Thanks, Neji. Now…" Randomly, she chose to take what seemed to be a glass and she questioned him, "What do we call this glass and what drink's supposed to be served in it?"

Instantly, Neji laughed and answered correctly, "That's a miniature spittoon and I don't think I want to know what kind of shit goes into it."

Disgusted, Tenten returned it, wiping her hands on Neji's sleeve as he passively snorted, saying, "Let's start with a simple daiquiri. Grab a bottle of white rum, lime juice and some Gomme syrup. It's real easy. Just mix the ingredients into a shaker filled with ice cubes. Then pour into a cocktail glass."

At the simple procedure, Tenten giggled and exclaimed, "My gawd, it can't get simpler than that!" And, with a swift turn, she gazed at Ino's shelves of alcoholic drinks, various glasses, mini ice crusher, drink artificial colorings and garnishes. Tenten swears that she felt her fingers twitch somehow.

"So… how can I figure out which on is the rum… the limes… the Gomez syrup…" she murmured, almost in gibberish. Funny how variety can cause migraines with one look.

Amused, Neji joined her in the counter interior and pointed out, "The white rum is the one in the unique-looking bottle since Ino doesn't keep it in barrels. To make sure, either check the label or smell it. It's a little less fragrant than everything else…"

"Fragrant?!" Tenten shot at him, arching her brow as Neji brought down the rum from the shelf, "Everything has that nasty smell that makes my nose itch, my stomach churn and my eyes water. How can rum be less fragrant when—" She was cut off with a luring scent that came from under her nose.

Turning her gaze downwards, she found an open bottle of white rum positioned under her nose. Neji then asked, "Take a good whiff. Rum's made from sugarcane and it smells like candy sometimes. But it sure as hell doesn't taste like candy." After a few seconds, Neji poured 9 parts of the rum into a shaker.

Tenten watched him reach for an 8-ounce bottle of lime juice, adding 4 parts into the shaker. It was as if his moves were choreographed and everything about him was perfect. Staring at the mixture inside the shaker, Tenten seemed to be more interested than ever.

After licking his fingers clean from the sticky bottle of homemade Gomme syrup he held, he shoved a few ice cubes into the shaker. His swift movements got Tenten following his arms as he shook the mixture together in a professional manner. Once the daiquiri was poured into a cocktail glass, Neji once again smirked at her and said, "I told you it's simple."

"Gawd, you make it look simple, actually," she admitted, picking the cocktail glass up, inspecting the impressively made beverage, "But I'm sure that if I were to make this, I'd take forever and a day. And on the last day, I'd end up with a glass of sour syrup instead, maybe."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Stop pitying yourself and get over here so I can teach you a little of what I know. I'm no expert, but I can hopefully help you." He gently took the glass from her hand, rubbing fingers with her, and he said, "One requirement for every 'bartender' is that you must actually like what you make. Get my drift?"

Definitely, Tenten got the drift. She stuck her tongue out in slight disgust and she mumbled, "Uh, no thank you, please. I really don't drink. I told you before: My system doesn't always agree with alcohol and all." She was wishing he'd eventually drink it himself.

Her words made the utterly despicable images of her and Sasuke in the Uchiha's suite come back without an invitation, memories and a real-life nightmare that he has tried really hard to eliminate from his record. Only know did Neji wish that he had short-term memory loss.

"Still," he urged her, trying to wipe the annoying images off of his mind, "Just one sip won't kill your system, right?" He first took a small sip, showing her that he was into it, too, and when his lips parted from the glass rim, he stated, "One little sip."

A little convinced, Tenten shrugged and repeated unknowingly, "One little sip."

And there, she carefully took the glass from Neji and after a little contemplation, Tenten stuck her lips onto the rim and downed about a gulp of the cocktail, savoring it somehow.

Quickly, she drew it away from her and told Neji, "Okay, fine, so… it's a little… good. But, don't you think it lacks rum?"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Her brows shot up as the alert went off. A pleased grin ran across her face as she rushed to the computer. But the grin immediately faded away when she read the words on the screen…

ACTIVATION TRACKED. ERROR: COUNTER ACTIVATION ENABLEMENT TRIGGERED. ACTIVATION CANCELED.

"_I knew the bitch was a traitor…" _she thought angrily as she pounded her fist onto the monitor's top. Her partner nearby jolted at the sudden impact and she asked, "What the hell's wrong now?"

"It's the poison." Black Ivory stated, gritting her teeth, "Eagle Eye's assistant sent the upgraded antidote. The poison's effects were negative. Unless they get another dose, they're not dead."

"Impossible!" Blue Gun Shot yelled, snapping at her sister, "I'm the only one who has the record of the upgraded antidote."

"I know," Hinata growled, biting her lip, "How Eagle's apprentice got the antidote is beyond us, though. If the assassinations aren't successful, another dose never hurt…

… But, this time, I want _no antidotes._"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

She lifted the glass up, holding it up under the light and questioned him, "So… this one's called a… flirtini?"

"Stupid as it may sound, it is."

Experimenting on their sixth cocktail, from a margarita to a Cape Cod, Neji and Tenten have practically made a mess out of the counter. Whenever a customer approached the counter to order a drink, Neji would be coaching Tenten on what to do, how to make the cocktail and what glass to use.

So far, Neji would admit that she's doing fine for a beginner.

While waiting for anyone else to place an order, Tenten squinted her eyes at the swirl of colors inside the glass, saying, "Vodka, champagne, pineapple juice… I don't think it's a good combination, really. I mean, would it taste weird?"

Neji snorted and shrugged at her question as he tossed a small shooter around, playing with it. Again, Tenten seemed to be intrigued with the cocktail they made. "Why, exactly, is it called a flirtini?" She turned to him, seeing that he had stopped tossing the shooter around and was now looking at her blankly.

Once again, he smirked and began, "The flirtini is a wine cocktail that isn't in the IBA or International Bartenders' Association Official List." He kept his gaze on her as he skillfully answered.

He took the glass from Tenten gracefully holding it up before her, "My first flirtini was the other year, when my cousin turned thirteen." As he said this, his words darkened with every syllable. Tenten looked at him as he seemed to be pressing nearer to her, as if cornering her on the counter she had her back against.

"The champagne gives it a bubbly spark, a sense that just grabs you in one sip," he continued, still closing in at her while she appeared to have been immobile, captivated by his growing spell, "The pineapple juice bursts with a painful yet comforting smack of sour, forcing you to lick your lips with the tingle…"

If she was right, Tenten felt like Neji was… seducing her. As she felt the counter's edge press on her behind as Neji felt closer to her, the dim atmosphere also contributed to everything. His breath felt so near, as if his lips were brushing against her skin on the very moment. Everything was like it was set for the moment…

… Like the world was screaming, cheering…

"Then, the vodka?" Neji added, now leaning one of his hands on the counter surface behind her, towering her with his build. Tenten felt small at this, but she didn't know why Neji was acting this way, explaining the flirtini in such an elaborated way… in such a seductive… mysterious… way…

"It's like a bittersweet tang that swirls in your mouth, making you let go of your senses, immobilizing you," Neji whispered, placing his lips by Tenten's ear. Definitely, they were literally pressed together, "And you know why it's called a flirtini?"

Hearing this, Tenten really felt like he was asking her, as if he wanted to hear her say:

"W-Why?"

Her voice was quivering. She didn't know, but it was. There was something about Neji's sudden strange behavior that made her shake yet there was a sense of pleasure in it. Cornering her in the dim-lighted counter of the pub wasn't a bad idea, maybe… for him, that is.

His warm breath traced down her ear, making her shiver even more. Tenten froze on the spot, her legs brushing against Neji's pants. She thought, _"My gawd, I can imagine the morning news: Girl makes out with mafia boss in bar. Gawd, why am I not doing anything to stop this before it even starts?!"_

Tenten proclaimed it silently: She was giving in to the temptation named Neji Hyuga.

There, Neji spoke again, as if in conclusion, "It's called a flirtini because it's like the greatest thing that has ever happened to you…

… It's like a kiss… Only a kiss is always better…"

With the word, Tenten unconsciously and gently lowered her eyelids, closing her eyes without much thought. And there, she waited for the presence of his lips against hers, his hands twirled with hers, as she felt his breath draw from her ear. She was waiting for a dose of flirtini…

Unbelievably, she was waiting for a kiss.

"I'm kidding." The words took her by surprise. Hastily, she shot her eyes open, somehow disappointed. Neji laughed and said, "I'm kidding, I said. It's called a flirtini because it was shown in _Sex and the City, _I guess_. _And we all know that _Sex and the City _is a real hell of a flirt movie."

At this, Tenten's mouth opened ajar, no words came out.

Seeing this, Neji snickered and asked, "What, you thought I was serious when I already tasted a flirtini? I haven't, honestly. But I know how to make one. In my opinion, I don't think it'll be so good. I'm not really a fan of pineapple juice." And there, he smiled wholesomely at her.

Immediately after he did, Tenten flashed a joker's grin and chuckled as she scratched her head in embarrassment, "Y-Yeah, I'm not really someone who'd like pineapple juice, too. But, how'd you know that a flirtini would taste like that? I mean, like a… kiss?"

"I don't. I made it up. Really, Tenny, it's pretty easy to make things like that up."

Laughing, Tenten threw her head back and stated, "Well, you're good at it, definitely!"

She shot her eyes back at him to watch him laugh with her, but his eyes were dead serious. His iris shone with sternness as he looked past her. Tenten wasn't sure of what he was looking at, but he seemed to be dismayed or mildly shocked. But then, his next move shocked her in turn…

"Get down!"

"Wh-What?!"

Without telling her anything, Neji lunged for her, pulling her onto the floor. She found herself on the cold, dirty pub floor with Neji's firm hand tackled on her shoulder as he sat gently on her stomach to keep her down. As she looked up at him in surprise, he took out his .45 and started turning everywhere.

"What's wrong?!" Tenten questioned as she spotted beads of sweat down his face. She could tell that he was panicky. Before he could even answer, gun shots came from nowhere, resonating in the pub, causing the other customers to scream and flee.

When she heard the shots, Tenten shrieked, "W-What's going on? Neji!"

"Stay down. My gawd, Tenten, stay down. Stay down, stay behind the counter and stay unseen."

And there, he got off of her with his gun. He whispered to her, "Stay hidden. Sniper shots."

Hearing the word 'sniper', Tenten's senses seemed to snap, as if her presence of mind had drifted away. Fear melted into her eyes and she scampered in the nearest bottom shelf behind the counter in the intention of hiding.

Slightly shaking, she threw her hands over her head as she squeezed herself into the open shelf by the glasses. More shots came around, making her feel more scared and tears formed out of panic. She couldn't hear her own screams over the havoc happening nearby.

She found Ino rushing out of the storage room with Shikamaru, cursing under her breath. But, eventually, their eyes grew and Shikamaru carried Ino off, bringing a suddenly unnerved Ino away. _"Ino ended up cowering?!" _Tenten thought in distress, _"What's happening?"_

Indeed, the gunshots went on and all Tenten could see was the shut cabinet before her. She didn't dare get out of where she was scrunched in to check on Neji. Everything felt like it was too much, like everything was eating her away.

Neji, on the other hand, was standing in the middle of the deserted pub, holding his gun up and ready to shoot. Frantically, he was looking around to try to see where the close-shot sniper was. He was absolutely sure that he was still here, whoever he was.

Then, all of a sudden, more shots came from nowhere, distracting Neji for a second. Once Neji analyzed where it came from, he pulled the trigger of his gun, shooting at the fifth booth at the far right. Quickly, a cloaked man came rushing out of the booth.

As the man ran across the room to try to get away, he aimed his shots at Neji, his target. As a reaction, Neji tried to dodge a few, but one hit his side, giving him a minor injury. After a swift recovery from the shot, Neji tried to hit the man, but he was too quick.

"_Who is this guy?" _Neji thought to himself as he felt the bullet force him to quiver, _"Who sent him? Black Ivory? The Aburames? Damn, that Kiba guy? Shit, whoever sent him wants me dead and they want me dead _now._"_

Again, Neji fired a few shots, trying to hit the assailant, when another shot came from the other direction, nearly missing Neji. _"Fuck," _Neji thought as the shot passed him, _"Are there two of them? Or is he really just fast?"_

Turning to the opposite direction, Neji tried to get a glimpse of the other shooter, but another shot came from the other side, confusing him a little. With this, Neji concluded that there were two thugs around.

One of them swerved, trying to move across the room. Luckily, Neji caught sight of him and rushed to the man, catching him by the waist. With a thud and a groan, they both fell with Neji's hold firm on the man. "L-Let go!" the man said, trying to kick Neji away. But Neji didn't even budge.

At this, the attacker turned to Neji with an angry glare and when he did, Neji paused. _"A… A girl?!" _The thought shot through Neji, sidetracking him from his actions. Seeing the opportunity, the girl called out to her partner, saying, "Master Zabuza, now!"

Five shots came and as the bullets flew sharply through the air, Haku managed to duck, giving the bullets a clearway. Everything caught Neji unprepared. All he did was stare at the coming bullets and fail to react.

As the shots hit, Tenten simply shut her eyes tightly, clenching her fists in fear. She bit her lip, mumbling, "I'm not scared. Not scared. Neji will handle this. I'll be fine. Fine…" But then, something diverted her from her mumbling.

And, at her right, after the counter, someone fell over with three shots through his chest…

At the sight, her mouth shot open to scream, her shrill voice echoing and haunting her…

"Neji!"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_She kept on running, her legs getting numb as if every ounce of her energy had disappeared at the moment. Her breath has gone short and with every blink, everything turns into a blur._

_"Tenten! Come here! I just want to slit your throat!"_

_"Yeah! And I'm gonna shoot you to kingdom come!"_

_"Let me run you over, Tenten! Kukuku!"_

_Their calls were taunting her to stop, but if she did, they'd get her. They'll kill her with their merciless acts, harming blows, painful attacks and sinister glares. The attackers tried to get to her, running right behind her with knives and guns._

_"No! No!" she screamed, half-crying, "Leave me alone! I don't want to die! Not yet! Not yet!" Her shrieks were futile in halting their chase. Her chest tightened as everything closed in at her. The path she was taking grew narrower and her feet seemed to liquefy into the cement below her._

_More of her cries came out of her mouth as the wicked brutes seemed to come closer. They were nearing her, almost there. She was afraid of what could happen next. What would happen to her? How did this even turn up this way?_

_Suddenly, straight ahead, she found a familiar face, a passive and cold one. Relief struck her at sight of him and she ran faster, motivated. Once she had thrown her arms around his neck, she buried her face in his chest and cried, almost screaming, "Neji, I don't want to die. Save me…_

_Please, save me! I don't want to die in their hands!"_

_Rubbing her tear-streaked face against his shirt, she couldn't help but bawl louder as he held her back. At this, she lifted her gaze up at him to see what he was going to do to stop the gaining men who wanted to get rid of her. But, then, what she saw frightened her even more…_

_Neji held the same evil grin of death._

_She tried to push back upon seeing this, but his grasp was too strong. A red glow in his once lavender eyes pierced through her and she could feel his hand nearing her neck. Intensity grew in her as Neji mouthed these words in the most intriguing and horrifying way…_

_"Don't worry, Tenten. You won't die in their hands…"_

_She felt a prickly surface by her neck's skin and with every second, it pressed deeper. She could feel the warm blood starting to blot from the slice and her throat felt choked up. Her grip on Neji's shirt tightened as she stood at the tip of her feet, feeling the last minutes to come._

_Finally, Neji concluded, "You'll die in mine…"_

_And as the blade ran across her neck, she screamed…_

"Agh! No!"

She quickly sat up on her bed, gasping for breath. She had grown more terrified now and the darkness of her room ate her away. Looking around, she was in her bedroom, safe and sound. Seeing this, she smiled thinly and fell back onto her pillow, relieved.

_"Oh my gawd,"_ she thought, nipping her lip, _"That was such a horrible nightmare. Damn it. And Neji just had to be in it, huh? Shit."_

The rain blew against her window's glass, giving everything the disgustingly humid sense in the atmosphere. Again, it was raining in the middle of summer. It really is the worst summer of her life, indeed.

Sitting up again, Tenten threw her gaze on the clock hanging on the wall and found out that it was a quarter to 1 am. Ever since the incident in the bar this morning, she has not been feeling well. Ino managed to contact her counterfeiter friend about what was happening and Lee arrived.

No one knows how Lee and Ino's friend were able to contact each other.

Tenten was found sobbing in the shelf and Neji was on the floor, grunting. When she passed him, she thought he was already dead. She had plans of crying her heart out and regretting her rude actions towards him, but he eventually stood up and started plucking the bullets off his chest.

"Bullet-proof vests." He remarked as she looked at him in amazement, "Gotta love them."

She ended up crying harder and screaming at him as Lee tried to pull her away, "You stupid, stupid mafia shit! Don't you realize how worried I was? How fucked up I was back there when I saw you?! I thought you were dead! Gone! And now you stand up and tell me all about bullet-proof vests?!"

Eventually, police arrived and Neji had left before they could. It was for his own sake. Tenten was there as the police examined the area and tried to see if the goons were still in the perimeter, but it seemed that they weren't anymore. Ino's pub needs major renovations.

"How am I going to pay for all this shit?!" Ino shrieked, kicking a broken table, "I'm not a millionaire!"

So, Ino would have to be closed for a few days and because of that, Tenten would have to accept her pay in advance. Before Tenten left with Lee, Ino handed her 500 dollars, additional money for the trouble. As Tenten got into Lee's mini van, she asked, "Where'd Neji go?"

After heaving a sigh, Lee answered honestly, "Neji got a shot on a spot where he didn't have any bullet-proof material on. Mafia members are, as you know, careful of their identity. They wouldn't go to hospitals if they're hurt and—"

"Lee, where'd Neji go?"

"I… I don't know, okay?"

It bothered her to no end that Neji wasn't home. He had simply rushed off from the pub without even telling her a thing. In fact, he didn't tell her that he was bleeding. So, she stayed in the living room with Lee trying to calm her nerves down from the situation earlier.

Still shaking and a little fearful, Tenten waited for him to knock on the door, fall from the picket fence from outside or even just appear out of nowhere. Within the rest of the day, he hasn't shown up. Eventually, Tenten fell asleep in her room, waiting for him.

Rising from her slumber, Tenten stood up and ran out of the door, a little frantic. She ran down the stairs and nearly missed a step then hurried to the glass door leading out to the pocket garden. Quickly, she thrust herself into the tent and was devastated when she found the sleeping bag empty. Twinkle-Top, though, was curled up nearby.

Saddened, Tenten crawled out of the tent and thought in consternation, "He's not yet back? But it's been hours. 12 hours. Where did he go? The bastard better be back by morning." And there, she walked back into the house.

Locking the door again, she was about to go back up to her room when the parked car in her garage honked loudly and disturbingly. Her eyes twitched with question and she decided to investigate. Unless it was Lee trying to smuggle a cow in, it's got to be Neji.

And she was right.

She opened the door to the garage and found Neji lazily seated on the passenger seat, looking at her like a child who has broken a Ming vase. All at the same time, she felt thankful and pissed off.

"Hi." He mumbled plainly.

"Hi?!" she responded, maddened, "When did you come home? I was worried sick about you. And what are you doing in my car?"

But he just snorted at her and muttered drowsily, "Stop acting like a housewife, Tenten, I just went somewhere to get my wound treated. Nowhere special, really. You don't have to think about it, really. So, quit thinking about it, alright? Alright." And there, he held out a wine bottle and drank straight from it.

Tenten breathed through her nose in irritation and muttered, "What are you doing here? I told you before: If it rains, you sleep on the couch. I never said that you could sleep inside the car, right?"

"I wasn't sleeping in the car."

"Then, why the fuck are you in there?"

"I was bored. So I decided to open your garage door, watch the rain and drink… wine."

She was silent for a minute but she noticed how relaxed and calm Neji was. She spotted the bandage that was poking out at his side then sighed. "Mind if I join you?" She was hoping he wouldn't. She wants to be as composed as he was right now.

All Neji did was shrug and mumble, "You sure? Get in, then."

Not exactly conscious of what she was supposed to do now, she chuckled and entered the passenger seat, sitting beside the muzzy Hyuga. She uncomfortably fixed her loose shirt and tugged consciously on her shorts. Yet, something about it felt right.

"So…" she tried to start something since everything felt stupid and awkward at the moment, "You want some music?" She tried to get a decent word out of him, beaming at him cheekily and happily. Neji only raised his brows and mumbled something inaudible. He didn't seem to be in the mood, ironically.

As the music came out, Tenten tried to start a conversation in an ugly state, "Mind if I ask you about your night? Like… your nightmare. What was it about that you were so tensed out, so panicky. It kinda surprised me, actually. I never thought you'd get nightmares."

"Everyone gets nightmares, Twenty. Maybe you haven't. But I admit that I do."

Tenten screamed in her head as she played with her fingers as Neji muttered all about the dream of his father getting killed in front of him. As Neji kept talking, his words were warped in her head, _"Oh… his eyes do have color, though. Lavender, periwinkle, baby's cough… Nah, baby's breath. Wonderful, actually…_

_… And my eyes are colored shit."_

"You're not really listening, are you?" Neji questioned her, throwing her an irritated glare, "It's a waste of breath to me if you aren't even going to pay attention, you know…"

"I'm… I'm really sorry, I just spaced out and started thinking of something else and… and… Yeah, there and I thought you thought I was listening and not thinking of anything else, but I wasn't, really. I was thinking of what you were saying and—"

She decided to stop when she found him laughing at her. His somehow drunken laughter echoed through her and she didn't understand why he was cackling hysterically. Nothing was funny at all. "Why're you laughing?!" she exclaimed, humiliated in a way.

His laughing reduced into stifled chuckles and he shook his head shyly as he said, "I'm sorry if I offended you, really. I just couldn't help but laugh. You reminded me of someone, actually. Someone I knew." He smiled at her somehow lovingly and added, "Someone special, I guess."

Hearing this, Tenten managed to grin back at him and ask, "Yeah? Who?"

"My mom." And again, he started to laugh, "Why, did you expect anyone else?"

"I thought you were going to mention your ex, honestly. Just thought."

"Nah, she's way behind me. She's way beyond us, actually. But she made me learn a lesson and it's to never fall for anyone. It could be a great regret."

It gave her a lingering doubt in her mind since he was two-sided in his own reflection. Earlier, as he was explaining everything about the flirtini, he said a kiss would be the best thing that could ever happen to anyone. But now, he was mentioning how love is a regret to all. Can't he make up his mind?

She giggled softly at the immaturity of the sense. Looking at her, Neji held out the half-empty wine bottle before her and remarked, "Want a little wine? It'll sooth you, really. It calms your nerves. And don't worry, I'll watch your alcohol intake. I'd know if you've had too much."

A little confident, Tenten nodded and took the bottle cautiously. The dewy exterior felt damp on her palm and as the aroma seeped through her, she already felt collected. And, once she had made her choice, she tipped the bottle and let the liquid slide down her throat.

Smacking her lips, Tenten breathed in and murmured, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's a little heavenly, I suppose." She handed back the bottle to him when she felt the wine swirl in her stomach, "What did you used to do before you became the official heir of your mafia? Just curious, okay?"

He arched his brow and began, "I was like any other teenager." He took another sip of wine and added, "I was home-schooled, went out with my friends, bullied, got bullied, cared about what kind of car I had, started a fraternity as a freshman in college… The usual."

"I spent Saturdays in my friend's house, counting stars and reading Gossip magazines. That's usual to me. I'm very much sure you have another definition for usual. Tell me more."

"Usual Saturdays, huh? Blue Gun Shot and I would grab a donut and sit in the sidewalk, doing any random thing from playing Black Jack to holding a burping competition. We'd crack lame jokes, sing songs with my guitar… The guy's kind of usual. It's weird how Hanabi's good company."

"Jokes? Songs? Guitar? It doesn't sound like you."

He grinned and flashed her a sarcastic face, saying, "Oh, so you thought I'd spend Saturdays shooting anonymously in the street?"

"Maybe?"

At this, Neji laughed with her. They'd bury their faces in their hands and just let their laughter out, choking in the process. Honestly, they never thought that the other would actually act this way eventually when given the opportunity.

The night flew faster than they thought and the wine was running out. More laughter came around every now and then with the occasional wait-a-minute-I'm-choking-on-my-saliva coughs. Truly, they felt like they've been friends for so long.

As the silence came in again as they tried to catch their breath from the boisterous laughter, Tenten asked once again out of curiosity, "You know, I noticed that you're close to your family. Usually, people are closer to their friends, right?"

"True," Neji honestly replied, "But mafias, generally, are closer to family since the business is like a monarchy in a country. Besides, with all those dangers you get as a mafia, your family's the only ones who'd look out for you. But in some cases, murders are committed among family members."

At this, Tenten flinched and asked, "Like your case with Hinata, huh? Why is she after you, anyway?"

He just shrugged. But seeing her eagerness to learn more, Neji pulled his wallet out and took a few pictures out of the pockets, placing them on the space between them. With the photos all laid out, he pointed at a picture of a middle-aged man and a little boy. They boy was obviously the man's child.

"That's me and my Dad." Neji said with a grin, "We look alike, no? It's weird, actually. I think I'm only paler than him." To Tenten, Neji looked like he loved his father more than anything in the world. From the photo alone, it showed.

Tenten picked the tiny photo up and stared softly at little Neji in his messed-up over-alls. She smiled cheekily and whispered particularly to Neji, "You have your father's eyes."

Blushing out of embarrassment, Neji took the picture from her and muttered, "Yeah, but everyone in my family has the same set of eyes. I told you before, didn't I?" He then handed her another photo, "This is a family picture. It's got me, my parents, Hanabi, Hinata and their Dad, my uncle, in it."

Perceptively, Tenten noticed how Hanabi and Hinata's eyes seemed to somehow differ from Neji's. It was as if Neji's were more beautiful, like it had a magical sense in it… or maybe she's seeing things again. Still, Hanabi and Hinata are gorgeous. Even a girl would say so.

"My Dad and uncle are twins. That's why they look the same, no duh." Neji mentioned, twirling the wine bottle's neck around his fingers, "Once, I went up to my uncle and called him Dad then I got so embarrassed." She noticed how he sheepishly grinned again.

When Tenten returned the photo, Neji handed him the last one he wanted to show her. It was a picture of him, about a year ago, beside some girl that seemed to look familiar. "This… This is you, right?" Tenten questioned, "So, who's the girl?"

"Satori."

"Pardon?"

Neji was quiet until he explained, "Her name's Satori. Met her in a club. You know the story. She's my ex."

"_His ex?!" _Tenten thought in her head, overwhelmed, _"My gawd, this girl is Neji's ex? Look at her! She looks so fragile, like she'd cry if I poked her. With those brown locks of hers in that tiny ponytail, she even looks insecure. My gawd, Neji, she really looked like the wrong choice, no offense."_

She couldn't help but look up at Neji and tell him, "But, she looks so… so…"

"Delicate? Flimsy? She is." Neji replied quickly, taking the photo from her without a smile nor frown, "I admit it: She's scared of everything. Spiders because she could get bitten. Trucks because she could get crushed. Laptops coz she can get electrocuted. My Dad because he hates her…"

"What did you see in her?" Tenten found it irresistible to ask, "I mean, look at her. She looks like she'd run away when she sees you."

"She did when we first met."

"And…" There was something Tenten wanted to add, but it was out of reach… until she fully realized it, "And she looks like… me."

Hearing her comment, Neji chuckled and proclaimed, "Well, she does." He slid the photo from her fingers and explained while returning the pictures into his wallet, "Satori was annoyingly paranoid, seriously. That was why my Dad didn't want her around me, too. I think I liked her because…

… she didn't hate me for who I was."

At this, Tenten got more interested. Was that all Neji wanted in a girl? To accept him? Does he mean that if Lee turned into a girl and Lee accepted Neji then Neji would fall for Lee? No, she doubts that too much.

"It's a funny and screwed-up story, really," Neji said, his eyes mesmerized in hers, "In the end, she wasn't for me, so I'll have to let go. You know that feeling, I'm sure."

"I don't think I do. Can you at least remember how I've never fallen in love, Neji?"

"I really doubt that! Anyone, at least once, will fall in love. I've had my once-in-a-lifetime-love-shit and because of it, I'm through with love. I think you've found someone or at least you will soon. Look at me. I'm a sloppy mob boss. I've fallen. How can you not?"

"Because," Tenten wanted to argue all night about this, "it's like this: People see what's outside first. _You _look at _me_! I've been contemplating on how both my hair and eyes are hued shit and how my lips look pinched. And have you seen my scrawny arms? Seriously, Screw…

… It's easy for anyone to love you because you're, in a manly way, beautiful!"

"And you're saying you're not?"

"Yes!"

"I disagree, Tenten. Really disagree."

His words took her by surprise, like this morning's sniper shots. Unexpected, he had complimented her in the most simplest of ways. It has to be an accident. It had to be. It wasn't like him to do shitty things like that.

Maybe, just maybe, there was something in the wine. Yes, it had to be that, because he was calling her beautiful and she wanted him to say it again.

"Thanks?" It was the only words she could make out as of now. Things were getting too strange for anything else.

Again, silence took its place between them with both of them staring at each other's eyes. And Tenten saw the same nightmare in his eyes. Once, she saw paradise in it. Now, the evil stare of the devil in her dream returned…

The traumatizing fear shook her again and her thoughts shifted from the flattered maiden to the suddenly distressed victim. _"W-Wait," _her mind opposed, _"This isn't right. I swear there's something in the wine! Because I'm falling for him on this moment. I am never drinking wine again!"_

A battle raged in her head, _"You're supposed to be afraid of him. He can eliminate you any time. He's trying to play around with you and soon get to your good side. Then, bam! He's got his knife down your throat just like in your dream. He's a _nightmare!"

Yet, Inner Tenten only prevailed in controlling the words that were sliding roughly out of her lips as she whispered unknowingly to Neji, "Neji, it's real nice of you to say that and it ended up somewhere in me and…" Her tongue couldn't be held back in talking some more.

"In the past seven days that we've been together, I…" Her whispers grew softer as she realized how much she was giving in to his magic spell. Neji, like her, had his eyes half-closed as if in a squint, and their heads were in a tilt as their faces neared.

Each second felt prolonged and it was like laxity had gotten the best of them. Tenten forgot that she was Neji's captive, not girlfriend and Neji had forgotten his promise never to even find a girl attractive ever again. If Hanabi knew what he was trying to do, she'd immediately get his birthright.

"Tenten," Neji's luring voice felt so near as their faces were near to closing in involuntarily, "You talk too much."

At this, Tenten kept her eyes gently closed and she simply giggled amid her mind's shouts, _"Tenten, you idiot! Idiot! Don't kiss him! Damn you, don't kiss him! You had a plan, remember?! A plan! Do you still want to be a target? Will you get used to sniper shots popping up every morning or the car chases that risk you and your car? Do you have a death wish?!"_

Still, the voice in her head didn't change Tenten's mind. She could already feel Neji's presence before her, pulling on her, tempting her. Everything felt like it's taking forever. Why couldn't she just reach for his lips and end the wait but start everything else? Why couldn't she? Then, she tried to pull back…

"W-Wait, Neji…" her whisper sounded like a sigh with its faintness. She knew that it was Neji's lower lip smoothly brushing against hers, "I… I can't do this." Even if she said this, she was still leaning in, "I'm not supposed to be in love with you. It's… not right… It's…"

But, eventually, she felt his full lips pursed against hers lovingly. And what was odd was that her conscience still screamed "No!" but her arms were actually already around Neji's neck. She had won over her conscience. She admits it: She's in love with him.

All of a sudden, Neji pushed her away, ending the kiss at that. Once they were back to seated at least 5 inches away, their stares seemed shocked but delighted. They weren't sure with what was happening to them. It was like they had done a crime against their own will.

"It's…" Tenten still had the thoughts stuck in her throat, "It's morning…"

Indeed, the rain has turned sun-dappled outside, shedding some golden sun on the drenched ground. Neji nodded and muttered, "Yeah. It… is." He cleared his throat and reached for the car door's handle. He pushed the door open and excused himself, saying, "Uhm, I have to call my assistant for… business affairs."

Tenten remained in the passenger seat, staring at him as he walked away, towards the door. When he was already inside, possibly in the living room, she whispered, "Sorry, Neji. This was the best Bella Notte ever… but it can't end that way."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Shakily, she dialed the number onto her cellphone, feeling guilt consume her. Yet, everything feels like it'll all be fixed after this one phone call.

The ringing increased against her ear as she wearily listened. She could regret this eventually or she could actually save her by doing this. She didn't know anymore. She had a choice and she chose this. It was called betrayal, but in another sense of it.

It was the right kind, if ever there was one.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"Ah, I knew you'd agree with me. That's my girl."

She paused and slightly opposed, "I am not fully agreeing with you yet. I… I just…"

"I know. Come over today. We'll talk."

"Yes."

Click.

And there, she felt tears form in her eyes again. Instinctively, she brushed her wrist against her eyes in the effort to try to wipe them away.

There was no reason for her to cry. None at all. She had to be convinced that he wasn't enough reason.

And with that, she rushed to the coat hanger, grabbed her jacket and ran down the stairs.

She'd become a traitor.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Does the brief kiss mean that Neji and Tenten are (finally) in love? Is Tenten starting to live in fear of her life with all those attempts to harm her from numerous people? Is Kosa Hyuga really dead or was it really just a dream? Will Tenten one day be successfully be killed by one of the thugs? How will Hinata and Hanabi give them another dose of the poison? And who was talking in the last portion?**

**And will the 28 days shorten somehow (Oops. Shouldn't have given that away)?**

**Find out soon.**

**I finished my exams today! I'm free again!**

**Kankuro: Damn.**

**Me: And to celebrate it, I posted this 10****th**** chapter.**

**Kankuro: It freaks me out how you know so many cocktails. It's like you're an alcoholic.**

**Me: I'm not. I just know.**

**Kankuro: And what was that weird cocktail in the story?**

**Me: … Flirtini? I just saw it in the internet.**

**Kankuro: Is it true that it was shown in **_**Sex and the City**_**?**

**Me: -shrug- Wanna find out?**

**Kankuro: Sure. **

**Both: -walk out and rush to the nearest DVD rental store-**


	11. Day Eight: Traitors, Money & The Truth

**Me: Have you guys seen the poll and the spoilers?**

**Kankuro: Who wouldn't?**

**Me: Please vote in the poll, okay?**

**Kankuro: Don't!**

**Me: Anyway, in this chapter, a lot of things will be exposed!**

**Kankuro: Including the color of Ruki's underwear!**

**Me: No! Gross!**

**Kankuro: Here it is: It's purple!**

**Me: Kankuro! -pauses- Oh my gawd, you pervert!**

**Kankuro: No, it was a lucky guess, I swear!**

**Me: -takes out chain saw- Pervert!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. And... don't listen to Kankuro.**

**NEW FEATURE: Chapter Summary- **

At her explanation, Kiba growled, as if scolding her, "What I don't understand about you is _how two-sided you are!_" He heaved an aggravated sigh and questioned her thoughts, "You don't make any sense, Tenten…

Are you saying that you're _in love _with someone who wants to kill you?!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"_Where is she rushing off to?"_

Rock Lee, Agent Young Man, was the first to notice Tenten's hastiness. With her fit jacket enveloping her, she looked like she was running for her life. Down the stairs, she missed three steps and fell to the floor. But, ignoring this, she got up and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going, Tenten?" Lee questioned her as he lifted a weight, "It's only 6:30 am. You don't have work and all the malls are probably still closed." Indeed, there was a need to be suspicious.

Playing deaf, Tenten pocketed the house keys as every breath seemed difficult. Consciously, she was looking around, as if checking if anyone was a witness to what she was doing. "Tenten," Lee called out again, this time nearing Tenten in concern, "Anything wrong?"

She violently shook her head as her gasps still escaped her mouth. Seriously, she looked dismayed, panicky and saddened all at the same time. One thing's for sure, she wasn't in the mood to answer Lee.

When she pulled the door open, she immediately hopped out of the house and was about to run to the sidewalk. But, first, she turned around, faced Lee and instructed in a tone that made her sound pleading, "Don't tell Neji." And there, she shut the door.

Finally out, her paces quickened and broadened, making her walk faster with every passing second. Instinctively, she'd turn her head around to check if Lee or if anyone at all had decided to see where she was going. Luckily for her, she wasn't followed.

It was a pain, actually, to be running around like this as if she was a loose convict. Still, Tenten felt like she had just done a crime, like she had bloodied her hands with an innocent's blood and she had left too much evidence behind.

The steps she took across the deserted sidewalk felt hesitant. There was the voice again, telling her to move faster, but her whole body wanted to just freeze, numb and fall over. There was no definite decision. There was only a neutral motivation at hand.

Passing the convenience store and the seaside view, she crossed the street and paused beside a bus stop. Unconsciously, she took whiffs to catch her breath. Her fingers grasped the bitter, corroding metal of the bus stop sign and her forehead pressed against it.

"So this is how a murderer feels like…" Tenten thought painstakingly as she slid her phone out of her pocket, "I need to get a grip."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"She headed off."

"Know where to?"

"Not yet. I'll keep you posted."

"Thank you."

_Click._

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Once her phone was at hand, she redialed the number she called earlier and shook in fear as the rings came. Everything was beginning to make no sense for all and she wished she could just wait for a piano to crush her to little bits. But there was no use in waiting for such an immature wish.

"Where are you?" the voice at the other end asked her as soon as he picked up. His voice neither threatened her nor soothed her, but it felt that she was dictated by the lone voice.

"I-I'm at the bus stop."

"Ah, yes, I see you. Get on to the bus nearing you."

As predicted, there was a red bus coming towards her, ready to load and unload passengers on. At that time of the morning, the bus was almost empty and anyone could easily count who was on-board. When the electronic doors made way for her, she slowly climbed up and paced through the aisle. As she did, she had pocketed her phone cautiously.

Almost all of the seats were vacant, but she had no intention of taking any of them at all. Her only goal was to find Kiba and sit beside him for their negotiation. The bus drove away from the stop as she continued to walk down the aisle, still looking for Kiba. When she reached the last seat, she halted.

"Kiba," she began as she stared back at the smirking lad seated by the window. His fangs peered through the side of his lip and his glare intimidated anyone. Tenten heaved a sigh then took the space beside Kiba once he had scooted over.

"So I was right when I said you'd one day come to my side…" He started, turning to her with a smug smile.

Rolling her eyes as a form of irritation, Tenten growled, throwing her gaze away, "I said I'm not _completely _on your side, Kiba. I don't have any biases as of now and I thought you'd understand that."

"But, even just a little, you're with me, right?"

With the remark, Tenten opened her mouth to snap back, but she decided to clamp her mouth again and heave a sigh. Eventually, she spoke up, "Honestly, I don't know which side I'm supposed to take, okay?"

"I really don't know why you can't make up your mind, Tenten," he stated, shaking his head slowly as he saw her pathetic stance, "I mean, would you like me to count how many thugs have tried to kill you within the week?"

"N-No…"

"How many times have you gotten the trauma of having someone try to shoot you or kill you with their bare hands?"

"I—!"

"And _why _are those people trying to murder an innocent little girl like you?"

"Stop it, Kiba!"

"It's because you're standing under the shadow of that no-good mafia fucker, Hyu—"

"Damn you, Kiba, I said shut up!"

She bit her lip in anger as her stare pierced through his. Tenten could feel her blood boiling at the disrespect of Kiba towards Neji and as her fists clenched, she wished she could just land a punch down Kiba's face and strangle him.

"I don't understand, Tenten," he honestly told her as he gazed out of the window almost absentmindedly, "If you're not on my side, if you're still in doubt, why did you give me the hassle of having to go all the way here just to talk to you? Why did you even call me?"

"_Because!" _her thoughts jumbled up and deafened her, _"Ever since this week has started, everything has turned into some kind of neutral hell! And everyone I know as of now has something to do with a mafia! I hate it! I have to talk to a _normal _person, even just once!_

_I just want someone to listen to how I'm doing and how I want to wake up from this nightmare of mine!"_

But, instead of blurting this out, she merely replied, "I… I thought you could help me…"

"I swore that I wouldn't help you till you're _completely _on my side." Kiba recalled, folding his arms against his chest as he put up a smug face, "But I'm doing this voluntarily to save you from yourself." He laid his hand on her shoulder and warmly smiled, "What's the matter?"

It was odd how his grimace had transformed into an inviting beam with a few words. He wouldn't be considered predictable, though. Still, Tenten couldn't help but choke on her words as she told him everything.

"I want my life back," Tenten whimpered, "I want to be back to being an ordinary College student. I want the house back to myself. I don't want to stay up all night, asking myself if some freak show is going to ambush me again tomorrow. I… I want to breathe right again. Do you get me?"

Kiba nodded sympathetically as she looked at him with droopy eyes. She felt truly frustrated at everything that was happening. To be honest, she enjoyed Neji's company… she didn't enjoy the thugs', though. Ever since then, she's been enveloped in fear.

And there, she ranted self-pityingly in a whisper, "My gawd, Kiba, I have a temporary leave on my job because the pub had to be renovated. So, I have to look for another job for the meantime. Seriously, when I should be saving up for my tuition, I'm saving up for 7,000 dollars more to pay my father's debt. It's… stressful. But…"

For a little while, she stopped then continued, "A part of me saw this week as seven days of excitement, adventure, suspense and this part of me actually _wants _to be with Neji, as if it's doubting my conscious decisions… I don't know, it's complicated…"

She then bit her lip and added, unknown of the reason why she was going to tell him one of her newest secrets, "I'm going to tell you something, but please keep quiet about it. _Please._"

A little clueless, Kiba nodded and said, "Sure, why not? Spill."

At this, Tenten took a deep breath, calmed down, then fixed her gaze on the gum stuck on the bus rail as she told Kiba secretly, "I don't know what came over me… over _us_… me and Neji… I don't know how it happened but…"

She gulped and hesitantly said, "We were alone in my car and we had a little wine and… we kissed."

"What?!" Kiba's voice pierced through her ears. Recovering from the sudden yelp, Kiba then continued in an irritated murmur, his teeth clenched together as he angrily glared at Tenten, "Shit, what do you mean you kissed? As in, lips together? Romantic feel? No accident? _Passion?_"

"I don't really know about the passion part…"

Kiba almost tore his hair off and he went on, still murmuring furiously, "What were you thinking Tenten? A kiss from someone like Neji Hyuga of the Caged Bird Mafia is not exactly the ideal thing to write in an autograph book on the blank for 'First Kiss'!"

"I know that!" she half-shrieked half-whispered, "I know that very much. I mean, I could feel my conscience tugging on me, telling me to kick him away, but my lips… They act like they want to kiss him badly! Do you know what I mean? Do you know how I feel? You have to understand, Kiba."

At her explanation, Kiba growled, as if scolding her, "What I don't understand about you is _how two-sided you are!_" He heaved an aggravated sigh and questioned her thoughts, "You don't make any sense, Tenten…

Are you saying that you're _in love _with someone who wants to kill you?!"

"I told you before: He _won't _hurt me!"

"You don't get it, do you?" Kiba objected to her, nearly giving her a shove, "Don't you see it? _The mafia's just using you. _Hyuga is just using you, more like it. Once you've already paid them the 10,000 dollars, they'll grin in your face and kill you. Just like that!"

Hearing Kiba, she couldn't help but pause for a minute. He awfully made a lot of sense. She never thought of that. If Neji won't kill her during the 28 days, he might _after _those 28 days. Besides, all he needed was her money. And he needs to conceal his identity, so he'd probably want to eliminate any 'history'.

In other words, people like her are _disposable _to them. _She _was disposable.

Realizing how right he was, Tenten couldn't help but lower her gaze and submissively whisper, "Y-You're right."

As the bus went through the highway, definitely far from her seaside home now, everything was a blur to Tenten. Kiba beside her, the sun finally fully risen, the snoring passengers, the obnoxious vibration running through the bus… everything has lost its meaning.

Discovering how Neji might want to kill her was all that meant to her. It meant she had to escape this fate, unless she had a death wish.

"Do you understand why I'm worrying about you now?" Kiba told her as he tried to shake her from her thoughts once again, "You should've realized from the very start that you're endangering your life. There are people who care for you, there are people who love you so much that they'd never forgive themselves if you ever get hurt."

Saddened for the moment, she nodded in a sulk, reassuring Kiba without eye contact, "Yes, yes, I get it. I get it." All she could ever think of was how she thought Neji could be one of those people Kiba mentioned…

… It was such a pity that he wasn't one of those people who cared for her… people who loved her…

"What do you propose I do?" she didn't know what came over her when she asked. She had promised that she'd never succumb to his 'Hyuga is evil, come to the good side with me' explanations, but she has just broken her promise. Who wouldn't take his side now that things are clearer?

Kiba merely patted her shoulder comfortingly and suggested, "There are not a lot of things that we can do, now that you've let him come into the picture," he honestly told her, "But with the right preparations…

… I can help you escape."

And those five words triggered the senses of a hooded stranger nearby.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_"It's always you. Always about you, hm"?_

Neji couldn't help but panic a little when he realized that Tenten had left without him. If anything happens to her, he swears he'll murder himself willingly. If she gets hurt, he'll die.

"_It's always about you, Tenten. When you go off like this, I go mental because you could get hurt. I can't believe how I actually act like your bodyguard. I can't take it, damn it," _he thought as he pushed through anyone in the streets. He was complaining, obviously.

"_When I wake up, I have to ask myself if you're even alive in your bed. Fuck, I can't even sleep at night, wondering if you're fine in there! I even have to make sure that your food won't give you an indigestion!" _Neji clenched his fist as he vainly searched for her, _"I am constantly thinking of you."_

As he briskly sped through the now crowded sidewalk, he felt his breath run thin. It always happens whenever he panics. Every moment of panic feels like his last, like he'll just die on the spot if he doesn't get over his panic. It's his nature.

Again, for the fifth time during the hour, his cellphone was ringing. As his paces were still quick through the pavement, he swiftly reached for his phone in his pocket and picked up, "What is it?" he greeted the caller, whoever he or she was.

"It's Rose," the voice at the other side said, her voice too quivery to become normally firm.

Hearing this, Neji gained interest and started fastening his steps, "Talk to me, Rose! Where is she?"

Rose quickly replied, not the least relaxed, "I don't know, but her phone has one of those satellite trackers in her SIM card. Every phone has one and I can give you the code for getting her location. I'll send it to your Blackberry as soon as I can."

There was a momentary pause in the middle of the conversation. At this, Rose simply bit her lip, parted her lips to speak up and say something, but she felt a gun behind her head. At this, she huffed silently. And with this, she hung up.

Her green, glimmering eyes filled with tiny teardrops as she muttered, "Who are you?"

Sasuke grinned behind her and still held the gun at the back of her head. Sakura had fear spread all over her features and as Sasuke couldn't even look at her cherry locks confidently, as if she held a past he wanted to forget. His bland eyes didn't speed away as it froze in contemplation.

"Hey, Sakura," he whispered, twirling a strand of her delicate hair around his finger as he made sure that she wouldn't even try to get away, "Remember me?" His smirk bore through her and the sound of his voice soothed yet angered her.

"How can I forget?" She replied with her teeth angrily clenched together in fury. It wasn't right to mess with him. He, indeed, has gotten slick. She didn't even hear him come into her office. What was to expect from an ex-agent like him? "How can I forget about Sasuke Uchiha?"

Glad that she still remembers him, whether negatively or not, he went on running his fingertips through her hair, playing with her, "I heard your latest job is helping out the Caged Bird heir in guarding some random chick, huh?" He could feel her heartbeat pacing faster.

"That's none of your business," she mumbled back, trying to shake his charm's effect off of her. His touch is going to make her swoon and fall again if she isn't careful, "Don't you have anything else to do? Like find another fiancée?"

At this, Sasuke's brows furrowed and his grip on the gun seemed to loosen. Still, he answered back to her, running his free hand down her bare and smooth arm, "I have no interest in other women."

"Nor do you have interest in me…"

"Aw, does that pain you, _Honey_?"

"Don't call me that!" she shrieked, throwing her hand behind her and knocked the gun into the air, out of his reach. Taken aback, Sasuke didn't expect the surprise attack and lost his gun. Watching the weapon fall back to them, Sakura eyed it intently and snatched it in midair.

At this, she aimed the gun at Sasuke, questioning angrily, "What do you want, Sasuke? No, what _more _do you want?"

Sasuke simply held his sinister grin and truthfully told her with his dark, mesmerizing eyes, "I have something important to tell you, Sakura." He reached out and grasped his gun with her still holding on to it, "I'm sure that this info will help you, especially at this moment."

Still, even with this, she remained firm and she growled, eyeing him furiously, "Not interested."

"You will be." He replied to her, waiting for an opportunity to swipe his weapon back from her, "I know about you and Hyuga. I know what you two stole from me. And I know _why _you did. So, unless you want me someone _dead_ within 14 minutes, you will listen, and well."

Her eyes quivered, failing to hide her sudden worry. "I'm listening, _Uchiha_."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Sensing his beeper, Neji quickly took it out of his pocket and swiftly read the message he received.

"Tenten's in Avenue 7. Run. Now."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The word escape made everything feel inevitable and unbearable. Escape made the situation sound terrifying. Escape made no sense.

"What do you mean by helping me escape?" Tenten asked Kiba as they got off the bus, dropped off at Avenue 7, "Neji's role is to actually _prevent _me from escaping. And I doubt that it'd be easy at the very least." In other words, she didn't want Kiba to do it.

Yet, Kiba merely shook his head and tried to convince her, "I never said escaping would be easy. But it's possible." He shoved his hand into his side pocket and as he ransacked, he explained, "A friend of mine handed me a one-way ticket to Evergreen City—"

"You want me to try to go there?!" Tenten screamed in exasperation, "It's almost 12 hours away! And if I dare try to leave, Neji will just go after me. You know that's what happens when I even attempt to leave the city premises." Leaving wasn't a good idea, definitely.

Still, Kiba continued, handing her the ticket, "It's 12 hours away by car. It's only about 3 hours away by plane. Take the plane ticket. It's still very early and this flight leaves at 12 noon, but be in the airport by 10. Get home, pack some things as discreetly as possible then leave. I'll pick you up, if you want."

In her hand, the thin ticket felt like the weight of the whole world. Staring at it, she couldn't help but think about it: If she left and escapes successfully, she can start all over again minus the mafia, minus the debt, minus the problems, minus the thugs coming up…

… But she wasn't too happy with the fact that it'd also be minus Neji Hyuga.

She kept her stare at the ticket and she muttered, "I… I don't know, Kiba. I don't know if leaving is a good idea. I… really don't know." Still, the fear in her heart was more potent than everything else. She knew it. Her only priority now was to get away, be safe and stop living a crazed life.

And with this, she looked up at Kiba with a smile.

"… I'll do it." She finally decided.

And seconds from that, an explosion came around.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Bumping into everything and everyone, Neji pushed himself harder into running faster to make it to Avenue 7 on time. Rose's information was hard to believe, but since it comes from her, it better be true.

"_How can this happen?" _he thought angrily as he dashed across the street clumsily, _"If Tenten wants to go and _tour _the fucking city then she should at least do both of us a favor and come home in one piece. If Rose didn't tell me about the demolition, I wouldn't know what to do."_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Instinctively, Tenten grasped onto Kiba as debris and chunks of cement fell from the sky. Looking up, they discovered that the building alongside them was collapsing.

"Kiba!" Tenten shrieked, her eyes dilating at the sight of the building that would crush them. She tugged onto his shirt, trying to shake him awake from his staring, "Kiba, snap out of it! Get out of the way!" Still, he didn't budge.

Adrenaline formed and Tenten did nothing but pull harder on Kiba's shirt, screaming and calling, "Kiba, you idiot! We have to get out of the way!"

The brittle building was meters away from them and Tenten knew there was not enough time to rush from the middle of the falling blocks and out of the way. With this, slightly panicky, she dragged Kiba down onto the concrete floor beneath them and she braced her arms around her head.

Amid the painful thuds of wires and cement crashing onto the concrete nearby, Tenten did nothing but clench her teeth, purse her eyes shut and scream, "Neji, help!" Despite this, she knew no one would take her hand and help her.

Seeing this, Tenten began to be more distressed. She could feel the countless pebbles and debris falling on her and she was sure the wall was going to crush the both of them in a matter of seconds. And finally, she saw everything else fall around her.

The dust and grime got into her eyes and nose, making her choke and cough helplessly. Next to her, Kiba was unconscious, lying on his chest with his face down. Luckily for them, they weren't completely crushed since the building was still held back by its metal skeleton.

"Kiba, wake up!" Tenten screamed, trying to shake Kiba awake between the belches and squints, "Kiba!"

Everything seemed to be hued gray and the smoke made it hard to see, making eyes water in a second. Her hands quivered at the weight on her. _"I'm going to die here. I can't. Damn, when I was about to leave!" _she thought, near to giving everything up.

The heavy material against her back felt heavier with every passing second, sending aches and pangs through her body. Her chest heaved in difficulty as she tried to breathe properly in all the grime and rubble.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath as her features soured, "Damn you, Kiba. Damn this…" She tried to push herself up, yet her endeavor wasn't rewarding. And when she felt like she was going to lose her consciousness…

…Another voice came in, "Inuzuka can't help you right now."

There was someone pushing the blocks of broken cement off of them hurriedly, hoping to be able to get them out of where they were before it's too late. Tenten tried to lift her head to see who it was, but the rocks at the back of her head were holding her back.

Thin lines of light seeped through rubble and the sense of it all came into her. And before her was Blue Gun Shot.

The tiny, yet slick, little girl tugged on Tenten's arm and managed to pull most of her out of the rubble, saying, "Do you have any idea of how Avenue 7 is already private property? Some rich bastard bought it and everything's getting reconstructed."

As Tenten brushed dirt and grime off of her hair, she replied defensively, "I swear, I didn't know. Kiba and I just got off the bus and… well, we were just taking a walk, actually." She thought a white lie wouldn't hurt.

"A walk?" Blue Gun Shot exclaimed almost in distress, "Then how come Eagle Eye's not with you?"

There, Tenten found neither words to throw nor any way to dodge the question. Still, telling Neji's cousin of her plans to escape is not worth it. Something told her that she shouldn't tell her because she could tell Neji eventually. So, she made up an excuse.

"I went alone to take a walk and your lazy cousin was still asleep." Tenten answered. She was so confident that Hanabi would find her innocent.

But, at this, the mafia girl arched a brow, "You don't take walks. Not at this time of the morning and not _ever_."

Hearing this, Tenten realized that it was either Hanabi has been semi-stalking her or she has done extensive research. As the silence overwhelmed both of them, Blue Gun Shot proceeded to drag Kiba from the rubble as she spoke.

"I know about the plane tickets, I know about your plans to escape and I know that you're madly in love with my cousin," Blue Gun Shot said, rolling her eyes as she pulled the beaten up pulp called Kiba from below the shattered building, "And, believe me, I heard everything."

Tenten couldn't help but bite her lip at the statement, feeling both anguish, irritation and guilt. "Blue Gun Shot, look," Tenten tried to make her seem on the good side despite the proof, "I don't know what to do and… I can't understand what's—"

"Shut up." Hanabi snapped at her before any explanation was made. Blue Gun Shot tossed her head, throwing strands of her hair away from her face as she let go of Kiba for a while, "I don't want you to say anything to me. I want you to listen and look… very well."

The girl motioned for Tenten to follow her deeper into Avenue 7, hesitantly leaving the unconscious Kiba nearby. Through the rubble and smoke, the two girls remained close, tripping on almost everything. It made Tenten wonder where Hanabi was taking her. But there was something about Blue Gun Shot that made Tenten feel safe, like she was her own little sister.

"Look at this." Blue Gun Shot said as she stopped in front of a crater on the ground. Tenten caught up and finally peered inside, only to regret it and to almost scream of trauma and suddenly cry on the spot.

A torn up elderly man thrown carelessly into the hole in the cement, half-covered with stones and powdered cement. His weary features looked paler than ever and he seemed to be helpless in his state. Blue Gun Shot, too, felt the need to mourn.

"That's Kosa Hyuga, my uncle and Eagle Eye's father," Blue Gun Shot stated, almost choking in tears, "My sister gave orders to kill him. Until now, I don't have the heart to tell my cousin. He called me once, asking about it, and I lied. I don't know what gave him the impression, but he knew…

…And the worst part was, Kosa Hyuga had diabetes. Unarmed and almost immobile, it was as if he's defenseless."

The grip of sorrow strangled Tenten to what seemed to have no extent. There were no words for her to say, not even whisper, and the facts, the details and the truth felt like it was too deep for any tears.

"Genocide is practically normal in our lives," Blue Gun Shot said, bending her head in respect, "But, honestly, I didn't agree with Black Ivory when she wanted Kosa Hyuga dead. She only wants him dead so the heir birthright is easier to snatch. Kosa Hyuga, actually, had me as his favorite niece, too. Murder sounds exciting, sometimes…

… But this has gone too far."

Tenten couldn't help but wait for more of Blue Gun Shot's words. "You see, Tenten? My cousin's _risking _his own life to protect yours. Not once has he ever thought of killing you single-handedly. I thought you trusted in that, but I was mistaken, then." This made Tenten cringe uncomfortably in shame.

Still, every word Blue Gun Shot said didn't get through. If she and Black Ivory, Hinata, were sisters and she opposed of her inhumanity, didn't that mean she didn't support her sister? But, it made no sense.

Blue Gun Shot turned to Tenten and admitted, "I have been helping Hinata out with trying to take the birthright as mafia heir from Neji for as long as I can remember. Her plans are actually very precise, but ever since he was assigned to watch over you, I've changed."

She stopped for a second to clear her throat before continuing, "When he became your guardian, I realized the… well, compassion and patience he had to actually manage to try to watch over an ordinary person like you. He, I thought, actually is better than my sister. My sister wants power yet he can govern with kindness, despite the mafia status. So… I became a double agent, as you'd say. I was both Hinata's and Neji's apprentice. I helped Hinata make poisons yet I sent the antidote to Neji."

And before she knew it, she had told Tenten everything, from the part where she had been noting Black Ivory's moves to Eagle Eye daily till the last bit, telling Tenten that Neji told her to see where she was going with Kiba.

"So, you've been stuck in the middle for a while, huh?" Tenten said, finally speaking, "Doesn't that make you a traitor to either end if you work for both sides? I don't mean anything by it, though. I just want to ask."

At this, Hanabi didn't seem to be surprised or offended by the question. "Definitely, I'm a traitor to my own sister, but I only do it because I know that my cousin is… the good guy." And there, she smiled, firmly planted her hand on Tenten's shoulder and asked, "So, do everyone, including yourself, a favor: Don't catch that flight."

Blue Gun Shot drew her hand away and added, "Plus, I'm sure you won't find any other guy as 'hot' as my cousin in Evergreen."

And there, she walked away, leaving Tenten to watch her disappear into the dusty air. Her voice lingered, though, saying, "Don't worry. I won't tell Eagle Eye a thing." And the wind soon took its place.

With this, Tenten bit her lip and took the ticket out of her pocket, giving it a good look. Would moving to Evergreen to start all over again? But, really, is Neji Hyuga really worth leaving? But the sight of Kosa Hyuga dead among the sediments sent a stronger chill down her heart…

"_Sorry, Blue Gun Shot," _she thought, _"I'm catching that flight."_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Where is she?"

"On her way back to her house, cuz."

"Well, that's… good. Any idea why she was in Avenue 7?"

Blue Gun Shot fell quiet for a moment, hesitant to speak up.

"She got lost. Wanted to go to Burger King."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Rose still stood before Sasuke, pocketing her phone when Neji confirmed that Tenten was finally home, all right. She was also still wondering why Uchiha 'came to the rescue', as some would say. Ask yourself: Why would your ex-fiancée be here to help?

"What are you up to?" Rose asked him with a roar in her tone, "The last time you had the _nerve _to _snoop _in _my _business was two years ago, when we were _engaged_ and it turned out that you were going to _screw up my life, _right? So, what's your plan this time?" Every syllable was cold.

Sasuke kept his gaze down yet dignified in a way. "Aw, Sakura, you still hate me for all that, huh, baby?"

"Spit it out!" Rose screamed, pointing a gun at him, "I want all of your shitty plans laid before me in the next twenty minutes. If I find out that you didn't tell me _everything_, I swear I'll kill you _now_!" She was unsure of whether to go on a rampage or break down. Her emotions were unknown, mixed and undefined.

Even so, Sasuke acted like he heard no threat. He kept his face plain as he confessed his movements, all of it. "I realized that someone stole my card. I found hair in the room and I had my facility employees scan it. It's from a mob boss. So, I sent many thugs to retrieve my card and get rid of him and all of them come back either dying or dead."

Rose knew that it was true since Neji has been telling her all about it. But she wasn't satisfied and convinced just yet.

"Then, I talked to foreign assassination experts. I had to negotiate a lot alongside my brother and in the end, the man allowed his partner, his girlfriend, do the dirty work. There were conditions, such as her coming back in one piece. Sadly…" he paused and with this, Rose felt a pang.

"Thing is," Sasuke muttered, as if he was ashamed, "I saw myself in that man and I saw you in his partner. I don't know what came over me and at the last minute, I tore the contract." Hearing this, Rose's eyes drooped in empathy like how his shone with the same feeling.

"But, I got tricked. The thug… burned down every square of Uchiha property worldwide… including the hotel and my mansion." Sasuke finally said, embarrassed in a sense of it.

And with this, Rose felt her heart beat louder, as if calling to her and telling her to wake up, see what's deeper, notice his need… and stop denying that she's still in love with him.

When the lack of words passed, Sasuke went on, "Only my property is burnt down, gone. My money, stored safely in the bank, is still alive. And it's all I have. My brother left me the other day to… move. And all I had was that money… and I was hoping, though my chances were ultimately slim…

… I was hoping that I still had you."

Only then did she realize that Sasuke had finally changed, seeing himself in another man in love.

Yet, doubt drowned her in many ways. There was a voice in her head that told her to never trust nor love this man, this traitor, ever again. And she chose to listen to the devil's advice.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," she confidently said, "I don't buy it."

Somehow, Sasuke had expected this and immediately stated, "Sakura, all I want to do now is to help, all right? I've… I've seen my mistake and… I was hoping that you'd realize that a guy can change, you know!" A fire shot into his soul as he spoke to her of his self-proclaimed transformation.

"Do you take me as a fool?" she snapped at him, still threatening him with her gun, "Do you think I'd fall for such a… a… poorly improvised and made-up story of false self-pity?" She felt herself quiver once again, "How could you!"

Seeing the anger in her eyes, the furrow of her brows and the snit of her lip, Sasuke knew there was really no use in trying to convince her again. "I didn't think you'd fall for my story. I thought you'd actually _believe _in it, that it was true."

Still, she wasn't moved. "Get out of my office before I kill you." She said, gritting her teeth.

"I dare you." Sasuke tempted, standing straight, "Shoot me. Pull that trigger, Sakura."

"… I'm _Rose Pierce _to you."

At this, Rose squinted her eyes furiously at him. But, then, her sight blurred with forming wet crystals. She couldn't. Even if she tried, she actually _wouldn't _shoot him, even for her life.

With the infuriation, she put her gun down and heaved a sigh. And when Sasuke thought he had gotten his way, Rose took out her phone in the blink of an eye and mouthed one destructive word:

"Security!"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

It was nine thirty and two hearts were beating in their own song.

The mob boss wasn't home mentally as he sat in his tent camped outside in the garden, strangely. Surprisingly, he appeared stressed and enraged all at once as the motions and monotones passed him silently by. Indifference had gotten the best of him.

While he was gallivanting senselessly all around the city streets, Tenten was packing her things discreetly as she could.

With a reasonably large backpack zipped open to a huge extent on her duvet, she hurriedly threw chosen clothes and personal belongings onto the bed, to be packed into her lone bag eventually. The plane ticket in her pocket felt like it'd burn through.

She dropped Kiba off at a hospital near Avenue 7 and told him of how they'll meet in the airport at 10. She'll go rush there with a few necessary things and get things according as planned. Call it escape. Call it salvation. Call it eloping… or not. It won't stop her.

Stuffing everything inside the backpack, Tenten felt her pulse beat faster and sweat tore down the slopes of her face. This is a delicate procedure. It's ultimately essential to be unseen and unheard by Neji downstairs.

So… how was she going to make her escape?

Her car's still down so she has no choice but to catch a bus or a cab in the next curb since vehicles are scarce at the seaside at this time. And with the plan laid out, she strapped the backpack on quietly left the room, making a sound less than a creak.

Going down the stairs slowly and cautiously, gazing at the living room and kitchen, she made her way towards the hall leading to the front door. Her sneakers slid gracefully against the granite floor while her legs went numb with suspense.

With her hands finally on the golden doorknob, she turned around to check if Neji has caught her. Luckily, he was nowhere in sight. At this, she heaved a heavy-hearted sigh and whispered in a squeak, "Sorry, Neji, but I gotta do what I gotta do. But don't worry. I won't call the police."

And there, she stepped out, briskly dashing to the next curb.

It was a scenario that imitated this morning, about three hours ago. Like this morning, she's rushing through the sidewalk again. She's trying to run from what was happening. And, hopefully, maybe this attempt will be safer, minus the demolition.

In a matter of minutes, which seemed to be years to Tenten, she clutched onto the lamppost that stood all alone in that block. Cabs, both vacant and occupied, drove in front of her according to their daily routine. Wishfully, Tenten hoped for a cab as soon as possible.

She waved her hand at an incoming empty taxi and, to her advantage, the driver had the heart to stop for her. Relieved, Tenten swiftly got into the car and directed the driver, "To the airport, sir, and please hurry." Once she had managed to close the door, the cab drove away.

The muffled hum of the engine rang in her ears as the ride took longer. The bearded driver seemed oblivious to how she looked so conscious and worried. Old love songs played in the radio, making Tenten uneasier since Neji was one who'd listen to the very same station.

Their travel hasn't gone through three blocks yet when pops came.

"_Hell! What was that?" _Tenten thought as the car halted in the middle of a street, stopping the traffic flow behind them. The driver swore under his breath and kicked the door open. And once he had examined every crook and cranny of his taxi, he started to grind his teeth.

"Miss," the man began, "I'm afraid you'll have to get out. All four of my wheels popped."

Hearing this, Tenten choked on an invisible force. What was up with this? Getting the wheels, _all four_, popped in the middle of her ride towards the airport isn't usual. One tire popped is understandable, but four?

But then, she realized where she was. She was standing in front of the Press Offices, Lee's office. And there, on the fifth floor, she swears she saw someone in a bowl cut, corporate attire with a sniper looking down at them with a wink.

"_Lee's on _his _side."_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Do you have any idea of what you were going to do, Tenten?"

"Yes! I was working for my _freedom_."

"My goodness, it doesn't make sense!"

"I don't want to be Neji's captive anymore, Lee! I don't want to spend the remaining 20 days dodging missiles eventually!"

As the two talked in Tenten's room, Lee couldn't help but misunderstand why Tenten was running away. She, herself, was assured that Neji wouldn't even think of hurting her at first, logically speaking. But, here she was, caught fleeing.

"And you didn't have to shoot the tires, Lee," Tenten said, angrily pounding on her mattress as Lee confronted her, "I don't need you stopping me and telling me what to do! I can do whatever I damn want." She shoved him before sticking her tongue out at him.

Lee sighed and explained tiresomely, "It's not that. I'm your friend, Tenten, and I'm only stopping you from making a mistake. _A big one._"

"Hey, it's _my _life that's endangered here!" she exclaimed, snapping at him, "You wouldn't understand because despite the fact that you're a boarder here, you don't have to sacrifice more than half of your earnings just to pay the mafia. How will I go to university without money for my tuition?"

"Don't you trust Neji?"

"I used to until Kiba told me the truth!"

"The truth? About what?"

"How Neji might kill me after I pay him!"

"Oh, and you believed him?"

"Well, he sounded honest and it made complete sense so… yes."

At this, Lee smirked and questioned her almost accusingly, "Really? Oh, okay. What else did Inuzuka tell you? Did he tell you about how _Neji's paying for your debt?"_

Lee's statement got her off-guard. "Paying my debt?" she repeated the words that took her by surprise, "What do you mean he's paying for my debt? You mean to tell me that _he's _sending money to his own mafia from his own wallet, telling them that it's my payment?"

"He will, eventually," Lee told her, almost regrettably. He took out a folder from his briefcase (which he probably has almost everywhere he goes) and flipped it open in front of Tenten. There, he took out an envelope labeled _'Fund for the Edgar Orphanage' _with a familiar-looking logo stamped on it. Confidently, he pulled out the contents.

5,900 dollars, crisp and untouched.

At the sight of it, Tenten wished she could snatch it from Lee and run off with the money. "This is all Neji's." Lee told her, counting them in front of her, "In eight days, he made many complicated transactions, counter flowing with the government. Even the money you got from the mail was from him And he does all because he…" Oddly, he stopped.

"Because he…?" Tenten said, making him want to continue, "Because he what?"

"Because he's in love with you, Tenten. And he wanted to finish your 'torture' ASAP."

"How do I know you're not making this up? Why didn't he tell me, then? Why won't he?"

Lee returned the money in the envelope, pressed the envelope between the folder flaps yet again and answered, stern as ever, "He knew you'd never believe. Plus, the money you pay him is immediately sent to your bank account. In other words, you still have the money you earn."

And there, Tenten paused. Was it all true? Did Lee have any proof? Would she believe it?

On that thought, Lee took out an ATM record from another folder, handing it to Tenten as he said, "By the way, I forgot to show this to you the other day." Tenten felt herself shake with glee and intrigue as she read her bank balance.

Her money doubled. No, _tripled. _And it's got interest. It's like getting more money every hour.

"Money doesn't grow on trees," Lee stated, "Same with love."

With those words, Lee shut his briefcase, stood up and made his way out of Tenten's bedroom door. All she did was stare at the balance sheet. It was as if she was going to _drown _in all that money. When Lee had already left, to go back to work, Tenten walked down the stairs and searched for her mob boss guardian.

Eventually, she found him inside his tent, asleep at a sunny time of the day. All she could do was look at his pale and still features without a word. _"Alright, Neji," _Tenten thought, as if talking to him with a grim stare, _"I'm a jerk. I'm a bitch. Okay. But, how could you be so kind to someone like me?"_

As she sat there on the grass, just looking at him, she has realized how selfish she has been, thrice a traitor should be. Blue Gun Shot was right: How could she have the heart to leave behind someone like him? Someone who protected her with his all, with his life?

And there, instinctively, she crawled next to him and gently wrapped her arms around his lean torso, hoping not to wake him. _"And, yeah," _she thought again, wishing he could read her mind and hear her, _"I love you, too."_

With this, she softly pursed her eyelids shut, drifting into a slumber she wishes she'd never awake from for the rest of the day.

Little did she know that the half-awake mob boss was smiling as she slept in his arms.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Blue Gun Shot ran through the drenched pavement, tripping over her shoelaces and slipping through puddles. She could see her breath against the blustery wind and her chest felt bare without the vest on.

Behind her, she knew, was death. Six blocks ago, she had run out of bullets. Her .45 was broken. Her knife went blunt when she went to hand-to-hand combat. With her arms and legs bruised, fresh, bright blood streaming down her face and a flesh wound at her right, she felt like dying.

Finally, she fell face first onto the ground, crashing her skull hard onto the concrete. "Shit," her mumble echoed through the empty street. As she tried to push herself off the ground, her limbs wobbled without cease.

And there, she was grabbed by the collar, then thrown onto the vandalized wall nearby.

Her breaths were long and harsh, coarse against her throat. Her pursuer grinned evilly with the ice pick at hand. "It ends here, _Hanabi_." Words that she'd probably hear last.

Still, she tried to fight back, flinging her fist towards the pursuer's face. But her balled fist was caught and twisted, making her scream in hurt. Onto the wet ground she dropped with a foot on top of her head, as if willing to crush her.

Grunting at the weight and sharp heel, Hanabi managed to exclaim defensively, "I only did what I wanted. How was I supposed to know that a bitch like you'd care?" At this, the heel sank deeper at the back of her neck, making her squeak.

"Go on!" she taunted, "Kill me!" Drops of thick blood mixed with the rainwater on the ground as she spoke, choking out blood, "Even if you do, cuz already knows what you're up to! He knows he's your next target. He knows how you want the birthright all for yourself!" Hanabi groaned before she added…

"And I'm so damn sure that he's going to kill you first!"

With those words, the ice pick drove through flesh and muscle, tipping the bone. More blood tainted the sidewalk and when the wet mass fell over, Black Ivory smiled triumphantly.

"Is that so, little sister?" she said, kicking the half-dead girl's cheek forcefully as if she was a slab of meat, "I'd like to see him try."

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**I'm so sorry it took me about three weeks or so to update! I'm just so busy with school and it's killing me! Anyway, I posted it anyway and I hope everyone read the story.**

**Suspense Questions!**

**Is there still a part of Tenten that wants to leave for Evergreen City? What happened to Kiba? Will Neji ever know of his father's death? Will Rose ever forgive Sasuke and eventually let him help? Will Sasuke keep trying to bring Rose's trust back? What happened to Hanabi? Is she really dead? And, will Neji be able to keep the birthright from the unworthy Hinata?**

**Plus, how will Neji react when he and Tenten wake up together in one tent, in one sleeping bag? Haha!**

**Thank you for reading and I am so sorry that I took so long. Please forgive me.**

**Kankuro: Shut up already. You still have lessons to study.**

**Me: No! –runs away-**

**Kankuro: Oi! –follows me with an Algebra book- Wait! We have to review your rational expressions and quadratic sum of two cubes!**

**Note: Please don't forget to vote in the poll!**


	12. Day Nine: Sidony, Hanabi, Harumi

**School has definitely been getting the best of me. From having to deal with multi-subject projects from computing my grades to failing math (It's something that happens every single year), I can hardly breathe.**

**Kankuro: Get an ambulance! Get an oxygen mask! Bribe someone from Bay Watch to perform CPR!**

**Me: Anyone but Pamela Anderson!**

**Kankuro: Yeah, she'll be doing CPR on me. –smirk-**

**Me: -pulls on Kankuro's ear- I'm here to remind you guys of the poll and the spoilers yet again. The poll is untouched, people! You don't really have to read the spoilers, though, but they have links! Do you guys have any idea how MUCH I put my all in it?**

**Kankuro: Anybody can put links in their profile! It's not that hard.**

**Me: Yes, but can you at least think of **_**how long it took me to look for decent web pages**_**?!  
**

**Kankuro: The woman still has no point. Either she's ultimately lazy or a slow worker.**

**Me: -pulls harder on Kankuro's ear- Shut up! –bonks his head- By the way, we have SasuSaku moments over here!**

**Kankuro: And, trust me, this chapter has some sweet moments!**

**Me: Shut up, you! You'll spoil them! –pulls harder on his ear-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**NEW FEATURE- Chapter Summary:**

And there, something came into Neji's head. Why _did _Hinata spare Hanabi? Was it because she still had mercy for her sister? But, it couldn't be that. All of them have learned to be hardhearted in any situation. Unless… Hinata wanted Hanabi alive so she can act as… bait…

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was seven thirty. Tenten was awake, no doubt about it.

Her eyes blinked softly, her sight still blurry from morning sand. Because of this, she closed her eyes again, hoping to drift back to sleep. But her senses were definitely awake now, only her eyes resisted to the call to open. She could still feel her hold on Neji's torso yet she didn't know if he has finally woken up.

What time was it? Was it already the next morning? What the hell? She slept there for more than 12 hours. That can't be healthy.

"Morning, Angel." Words that came around, making her carve a tiny smile. She knew it was Neji and it was odd to hear his voice so melodious and not the least cold. _He _was the angel here.

"Now where have I heard that before?" she giggled softly before adding, "Morning." Tenten replied tenderly with her eyes still closed, pressing herself nearer to him.

It surprised Neji to find her beside him last night, actually, despite the fact that he knew she had laid down beside him at around noon. He expected her to leave in an hour's time, but she ended up spending the night asleep in the tent.

"Mind if I ask what're you still doing here?" The question popped up from Neji and when Tenten absorbed it, her eyes suddenly shot open in realization. Only then did her senses completely wake up. She's in Neji's tent… and he was asking a good question. She was done acting like his wife in bed.

Immediately, she sat up and hurriedly stuttered, "I… I can explain."

"No need to, actually," Neji told her, chuckling as she blushed all over at the scene. Neji couldn't help but arch his brow and carve an indistinct smile, "I… don't really mind if you want to sleep… beside me, but why don't you tell me first, you know?"

"I-It wasn't that!" Tenten exclaimed, shaking her hands in embarrassment, "I… I wanted to talk to you but you were asleep and… and I fell asleep waiting for you to wake up! I swear! N-Nothing personal!" But she knew very well that it _is _something quite personal.

Neji snickered and answered, "Yeah, I'm sure." But he swears he could feel his cheeks burn as he tried to hide his sheepishness.

With this, Tenten just smiled shyly and giggle without much consciousness. And it somehow staggered her how he smiled genuinely back. But as the seconds passed, Neji suddenly leaned in and left a memorable smack on her lips as he said, "Excuse me for a little while."

And as he crawled out of the tent, Tenten's smile grew as she stroke her bottom lip lovingly, the spot where Neji's model lips touched.

The mob boss walked through the dewy grass, making sure that Tenten wouldn't follow him. But he can never be sure, though. He entered the house, and shut the glass door. Taking out his usual black marker, he wrote on the glass like always.

"_I'm going out. STAY HOME. BE SAFE. If I'm not back in an hour, go tell Lee. Screw." _

A few words written with thick black ink told a story that is yet to happen. As a single tear escaped his right eye, he whispered to him self, "I shouldn't be lying to her, but I have to do what I have to do." And after writing the message, he walked off, making his way out the door.

With his phone on his ear, waiting for Rose Pierce to answer, he whistled as he typed in a quick message to his assistant via his digital communicator. As the rings increased, Neji raised a brow in suspicion. It wasn't like Rose not to answer her phone.

Then, as quickly as he sent the message to his apprentice, the message came back with an error message. _'Database receiver not found. Please try again later.'_

That kind of error message is only sent back to senders whose message recipients are either unconscious, confined, comatose … or dead.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The raven-locked young man paced through the white, clean halls, feeling the atmosphere too familiar. A few days ago, he moved back into Org Base 68 because he lost his property to a fire catastrophe. And, now a little humble, Sasuke Uchiha wondered…

… Why is he being called for in the head agent's office?

As he passed the many huge windows with views of experimentations, demonstrations, trainees practicing their skills and meetings, Sasuke simply listened to the thump of his footsteps while he trekked through everything. It was as if it was only yesterday when he was a trainee, too.

"_Hold your gun properly, Agent Crowe Blood!"_

The voices that he used to hear everyday as an agent-in-training seemed to be coming back to him.

"_Code 7070995 is an emergency situation. You don't have time to check the rate and disposal time. You have to act _now_."_

His movements used to be so awkward, unimpressive and foolish. And to think he, after years of hard work, became a general agent in Division 5, a high position not even full-time agents could manage to obtain within 11 years.

"_Congratulations, Agent Crow Blood. You saved the world yet again."_

But he knew none of those awards, trophies, successions and achievements would ever come his way…

_"I'm so proud of you, Sasuke…"_

… if it wasn't for his partner, Sakura, Rose Pierce.

"_Thanks, Honey."_

A partner, an ex-girlfriend, an ex-fiancée who has the right to hate him all she wants.

Reaching the end of the corridor, he stopped in front of a bulletproof glass door, where he sunk his fingers into a gelatinously-textured pad for a fingerprint examination, where he tapped in his password and where he had his eyes scanned for granted access.

When the door's lock was deactivated to let him in, Sasuke could hear two people talking from inside the office, a woman and a man, probably his boss. And what pained him was the fact that the woman's voice sounded recognizable… maybe, too recognizable…

"Ah, Agent Crowe!" The head agent, Kakashi, greeted him behind his pixilated mask, "So you got my call? Good." The bionic man of the next century (this is so because he is man, machine and pixels all in one) allowed Sasuke to come in without hesitation.

As Sasuke has predicted, Rose is present.

At sight of the cherry-locked agent, Sasuke couldn't help but draw his gaze away. Seeing this, Kakashi chuckled nervously and began, "Well, um, I'm sure you remember Agent Rose Pierce very well. She's… the reason why I called for you."

With that, Sasuke's throat closed. He tried to straighten himself up as Rose observed him with a forlorn glance. "I'm going to have to leave you two alone," Kakashi clarified, getting up from his chair, "I hope I won't find you two shooting each other after I leave. I'll be back to dismiss you two later. Good luck." And there, he went out of the room.

As the cyborg exited, Sasuke turned his gaze on Rose. He seemed to flinch. "Decided to confront me or something, _Rose Pierce_?" A tone both elegant and dull dropped.

At first, Rose was resisting not to get into a fit and start slapping him all over again, until she managed to pull herself together enough to speak. From her slim jeans' front pocket, she took out a tri-folded piece of paper, a precious document to both him and her.

"What is this?" he questioned, as if accusing her blandly. But all Rose did was nod at him and still hold out the document to him. At this, Sasuke reluctantly stretched out his hand to take it. He unfolded everything and as he did, Rose did nothing but remain silent, serious yet delirious inside.

Sasuke's eyes sped through the paper, absorbing the letters neatly printed onto the white grain. "Sidony…" the taste of melancholy went bad in Sasuke's mouth, "This is Isle Sidony's deed. What do you want me to do with it?"

Isle Sidony is the island, once Uchiha property, that Sasuke handed to Sakura three months before their wedding, which was canceled eventually. Sidony was supposed to be where their honeymoon would take place, hence the name since Sidony means 'linen'. Ahem… moving on…

"I want you to have it." Her sentence was brisk, straight to the point, "It's a pity to know that you're back to renting space in the division."

But, Sasuke folded the paper again and calmly declined, holding it back to her. "This is your property. I appreciate the charity, but no thank you."

Still, Rose merely stared at the held out document and carved a tiny, unexpected smile. "Sidony is _our _property. I thought we had that clear when you gave the isle to me." She folded her arms across her chest and added, "Besides, don't you need a place to stay in due to the current situation?"

"I'll be fine here in the division for the meantime, Rose," Sasuke lied, throwing the deed onto Kakashi's table nearby.

"But wouldn't you be _more _than fine if you stayed in a place that didn't _bring up the past_?"

"I don't fear the past, unlike you."

With a growingly thin patience, Rose dashed towards Sasuke, nearing her furrowed face to his. Her snarl shone behind the locks that covered her face. A shivering fist tried not to land into his face yet again as she threateningly whispered to his ear, "I don't fear _you_."

Of course, it simply satisfied Sasuke to no extent whenever she revealed her weakness in such a way. A smirk once again grew on his jaw and he whispered back, almost coolly, "I know. You fear this."

And there, Rose felt his fingers run down her arm and to her right hand. Her features seemed to soften as Sasuke lovingly caressed her hand. All she could do was recall how long it has been since he last did that. And there, he slid the golden band she had from her ring finger.

Once he had it slid out, he smiled and showed her the golden ring she wore, held between his fingers.

"Why do you still wear it?" he simply asked her, curious but almost reproachful, "Basing theories on how everything's doing, I assumed that you had thrown away the engagement ring."

Indeed, she has never taken the diamond-rimmed golden engagement ring off of her finger. Ever since it went down her finger, she had never even thought of taking it off. Rose didn't want to say the true reason why she still had the ring, but she felt that it was right to say so.

Rose only spoke up with her head low, "The only reason why I keep that ring down my finger is so that I will always remember the only love I've ever had, how I found it and how I lost it." Sentimental as it may sound, it was the truth.

Sasuke scoffed, returning the ring down her finger, "You always have been the mushy kind of girl."

"And you," she snapped back, pulling her hand away from his grip, "have always been a jerk. Now, do you want Sidony or not? I have better things to do than fight with you again."

Strangely, everything sounded like an excerpt from Kramer VS Kramer.

Almost sympathetically, Sasuke shook his head and admitted, "Sidony, like it says in the deed, is your property. I have no intention of getting back. You can go do whatever you want with it, aside from handing it to me."

Somehow it seemed unclear to Rose why he was this way. She couldn't understand that by giving their parting gift back, after two years, she was also giving back his heart in the process, giving his love back, returning it as if she didn't need it anymore.

At this, Rose was overwhelmed by emotions she could never define. She wasn't done talking yet. "Sasuke, don't be stubborn!" she exclaimed, snatching the deed back, "I just want you to recover fast from what happened to you. Look, the deed says that Sidony is our property!" Immediately, Rose flipped the paper again and pointed at the paragraph that entitled Isle Sidony to her.

"That isle is not our property for as long as we are not married, understood?" Sasuke clarified, firmly putting a front on, "And I don't think that's ever going to happen."

Rose's jade eyes grew, taking in the words Sasuke just uttered. Rose pressed her teeth onto her bottom lip, letting the anger overflow. She raised her hand to slap him and as her hand dove across the air, nearing his cheek, she couldn't help but recall a time she wishes will never return…

"_Rose Pierce is actually Sakura Haruno, a reporter of channel 17, 'News Central'. Public says…"_

"_It's disastrous, indeed. To discover that one of the world's top agents have lost everything she owned to her own fiancée…"_

"_She is a disgrace to the organization…"_

"_I heard she's pregnant. Of course, it's Uchiha's child. What will she do now? Agents are…"_

"_Uchiha completely mauled her life! How did he manage to make her sign a contract to entitle everything she owns before their marriage?"_

"_Stupid people do very stupid things. And Sakura Haruno has found a space in this list of stupid people…"_

"… _But where is Rose Pierce now?"_

Gossip, lies, betrayal and loss… everything that ruled her life ruined it for her, too. All because Sasuke had her around his finger, tight and secure, losing the ability to let go of being his little puppet.

And when her palm was merely inches away from causing injury to him, her wrist jerked, halting everything. As her eyes stared hard at his chiseled face, all she could do was feel the words she needed to say choke her. She found her fingers stroking his cheek instead as she muttered…

"If I were given a choice, I'd still get married to you. That is, until now."

Confused at her own binary feeling, shifting from two contradictory emotions, Rose wrapped an arm around Sasuke's torso, making her hand reach into his pants' back pocket and leave the deed there. She kept her gaze away, mumbling in conclusion, "Nice doing business with you."

After typing in the correct password, Rose stepped out of the office. Passing her boss, Kakashi, she hastily said a goodbye and walked away. On her way to the elevator at the end of the hallway, Rose kept her face straight through and through. But once she was inside the elevator's cold metal walls, she fell to her knees and broke down.

As for Sasuke Uchiha, he tucked his hand into his pocket to take out the deed. And as he unfolded it once again, he felt Rose's ring caught amid the paper.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Running down the deserted sidewalk, Neji tried to keep the tracking device intact. He managed to track down Blue Gun Shot's communicator and the search led him to an empty part of the city slums.

Amid the vandalized walls, rotting buildings and decaying whatnot everywhere, he continued to look for his cousin. How he prayed that his search would not be in vain. She hasn't had any activity or movements in the last 24 hours and she could be dead. What would he do at the worst-case scenario?

Eventually, in the hush and darkness of an alley, he heard a constant beeping noise. At this, Neji rushed through the dim alley and, to his relief, he stumbled upon Hanabi's torn body. Her communicator's light flickered on and off, simultaneous with the beeping.

"_Gawd, please be alive," _he thought nervously, inspecting her wounds. Aside from the minor cuts all around her limbs, she had a very deep and critical stab just below her chest. Through bone and muscle, the ice pick stood.

A little panicky, Neji knew that the best move was to try to remove the weapon from her. And as he tugged onto the bloody handle, he swears he heard a moan out of his cousin. "Sh-Shit, don't do that…" her grumble came out.

Amazed, Neji exclaimed, still trying to pull out the ice pick, "Blue G! My gawd, I thought you were dead! What happened?"

Hanabi's eyes were shut, as if she wasn't even alive. As Neji tugged on the ice pick, taking it out little by little, Blue Gun Shot explained, "My bitch sister caught me off-guard. It was my fault. I didn't follow your advice on always wearing a bullet-proof vest."

"I don't want to hear about how stupid you were," Neji coldly stated, still working on the ice pick, "I want to know what happened. I want every detail down and fast. I have to get you to a hospital soon."

Hanabi flinched as the pain ran through her. "Black Ivory said she was already going to kill you. So, I immediately made a move, trying to make it to you before her. But we met somewhere in between during the journey and she started shooting at me, carefully avoiding my vital parts."

Blood, thick and dark, started to flow through Blue Gun Shot's wound as the pick moved slowly out. Between the cringes, Blue Gun Shot went on, "And she caught me here. The bitch drove that ice pick down my side. Up till now, it makes me wonder why she didn't just… kill me…"

And there, something came into Neji's head. Why _did _Hinata spare Hanabi? Was it because she still had mercy for her sister? But, it couldn't be that. All of them have learned to be hardhearted in any situation. Unless… Hinata wanted Hanabi alive so she can act as… bait…

_"It's a trap!"_

What did Black Ivory have in store for them?

Quickly as how the thought came into Neji's mind, another foreign sound came. It was the sound of three devices, beeping in harmony.

"What… What's happening?" Blue Gun Shot questioned as Neji finally drew the ice pick from Hanabi's side. Without delay, Neji turned everywhere, to all three walls facing the alley for any devices that Black Ivory could've planted. But, to his dismay, he found none.

Unable to even sit up, Blue Gun Shot screamed wearily in alarm, "Pocket bombs! We have to find them before they explode!"

"No, we're getting out of here before they explode!" Neji suggested, ready to pick his cousin up from the drenched ground.

"Idiot, a pocket bomb is enough to destroy a building. What more from three?! We'll never get away in time, especially with me in this state!" Blue Gun Shot opposed to him, also frantically looking for the bombs.

The beeping seemed to hasten and it felt like they were seconds from death. As Neji tipped every trashcan in sight and even peered through the holes of the walls, Hanabi could only examine the ground for any cracks or opening where the bombs may have been planted.

"We're running out of time!" Neji said, still searching for the bombs with sweat beading his face, "Blue G, we have to get out of here and take our chances! If we stay here, we'll _definitely _die!"

But then, as the beeping got louder, Hanabi traced them. "Roll me over!" she ordered Neji, frenetically trying to get up, "Get me out of this position now! Hurry!" Not knowing why, Neji simply followed and brought his cousin into his arms, lifting the tiny girl from the ground.

And there, she uncovered a bar-covered sewer hole, not even big enough for Blue Gun Shot to fit in. When Neji saw this, he understood on that instant. _"She planted the bombs in the sewer hole under Blue G so both of us would get hit directly. Clever girl." _Running as fast as he could with Blue G in his arms, Neji heard the beeps end, followed by a hollow yet resonating explosion.

Faint, Blue Gun Shot could feel the ground shake under Neji's feet. As debris, dust and smoke filled the air, her sight darkened, blurring in the process. She swore she could feel her wound throb harder.

She was sure that she, if not both of them, were not going to make it.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Three hours have passed. Tenten knew she should've called Lee two hours ago.

"Lee, Neji hasn't returned in three hours," she said, leaving a message for Lee's answering machine, "He told me to call you up if he wasn't back in an hour. I know I should've called earlier, I'm sorry. Please, please call ASAP when you can. Bye."

With this, she placed the phone back onto its cradle and snit her finger. Where _did _Neji go? Why didn't he tell her, anyway? And stay home?

As Tenten grabbed her cellphone and jacket, she rushed out of the house and thought, _"Stay home? No way. I'm gonna look for you, Neji."_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Coughing, Neji yelled out for Hanabi. "Blue G!" he called out in between all the destruction. All around him, there were destroyed buildings, cracked (and even holed) cement, flames and smoke. But she was not in sight. "Blue G!"

With his face smeared with gray and blood, he pushed himself off of the ground and looked for Blue Gun Shot. "Shit," he murmured, clenching his fist as he went around for his injured cousin, "Blue Gun Shot, speak up! Where are you?"

Finally, he found her lying almost 20 yards away from him. He knew that when the explosion came, the force made him fall and drop her. All he was wishing for out of her was a pulse. Reaching her, he grabbed her wrist and checked for her pulse. Either it was difficult to feel for it in all the vibrations and happenings around, or maybe there was none anymore.

Desperate, Neji grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to wake her up, "Hanabi! Hey! Hanabi! You have to get up, you moron! Get up!" But with every shake, her face remains still. At this, Neji's brows furrowed lower while he continued to try to shake her awake.

In the effort to call for help he could trust, Neji took out his phone and dialed Rose's number. Once again, she wasn't picking up. _"If she can't answer her phone because she's tonguing Sasuke right now, I swear I'll kill her!" _

Bending lower, Neji placed his ear next to Blue Gun Shot's mouth. To his panic, he couldn't hear her inhale nor exhale. His breath was untraceable. Hopeful, he placed his ear on her flat chest, praying for a heartbeat. His prayers weren't heard.

"Blue G!" he shouted out, wishing she'd just sit up and be okay, "Blue G! Get up! This isn't a good time to joke around and show me how you've mastered the art of playing dead! Wake up now!" But the lass remained icy and immobile.

Neji felt strings tug on his chest. He never thought that losing a partner, a close friend, a cousin was going to be this painful.

Again, he took out his phone and dialed for Lee. Instantly, he was answered by a busy tone. _"Fuck these people! They have awful timing not to be available!"_

But then, he was truly fraught enough to ask help from _her_.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

When Tenten left the house to go after Neji, she had no idea where to go. But she plainly kept on running through the sidewalks, aimlessly hoping she'd end up somewhere eventually. But she was glad when her phone rang, especially when she discovered that it was Neji calling.

"Where are you?" she immediately questioned him after picking up, panting, "I can't contact Lee so I decided to go after you myself."

Neji couldn't help but feel touched at her concern, "I'm somewhere in the slums of the city," he said, shaking Hanabi awake with his other hand, "You have to help me! I can't contact everyone else. Blue Gun Shot's hurt. Hell, she's unconscious!"

"Oh my gawd!" Tenten exclaimed, trying to get onto a bus that passes through the slums, "Is she all right? What happened?"

"It was a trap," Neji explained, examining the area's perimeter, "Black Ivory stabbed her then left her here. I looked for her to help, but we ended up getting bombed. I'm fine, but she's almost dead." But, in fact, Neji wasn't sure if she was dead or _almost _dead.

As Tenten took a seat on the bus, she stated, "I'm on my way to there. Question is: Where, exactly, is there?"

Honestly, Neji also didn't have the faintest idea. But he could direct her by telling her of the landmarks and signs he passed through on his way to where he was. So, he said, "When the bus reaches the statue of the giant pigeon, get off."

Tenten then replied, wanting to tell the driver to go faster, "All right. I'll tell you once I've arrived. While I'm still here, you have to do what you can to try to revive Blue Gun Shot. We can't waste any more time! Do CPR!"

"Gross."

"Neji, a life's at stake!"

"But I don't know how to do CPR at all! I'm not a doctor!"

"Well, so am I but I know how! Do as I say, all right?"

"I don't know if I can do it right."

"Neji, you're good kisser. If you kiss well, you'll do CPR well!"

"You think I'm a what?!Just a _good _kisser? Not amazing or something?!"

"My gawd, how am I supposed to know? Then, prove to me that you're so damn _amazing _later!"

"You're talking to a guy, Tenten! Specifically one whose hormones rage for you! So stop it!"

"Good gawd, what a disgusting confession! I didn't say anything about going _beyond _kissing, damn it!"

Indeed, Tenten was already raising her voice at Neji while talking to him on the phone. So, the other riders thought that she was either crazy or simply arguing with someone about how awesome of a kisser the guy on the other end was.

"All right, let's get serious already," Tenten tried to calm down so they could manage to help Hanabi, "We'll settle the kissing thing later. Right now, we have to think of Blue Gun Shot's state. Is she breathing?"

"No!" Neji exclaimed, almost bellowing, "That's why I'm panicking!"

She clicked her tongue in irritation and demanded, "Calm down, Neji! Calm down! Panicking won't help since I'm panicking, too! Now, put your hands on Blue Gun Shot's chest, one over the other. Then push hard thrice! That'll help the air go through from her lungs."

"Tenten, Hanabi's a _girl_!"

"A one with a _flat chest_, at that!" Tenten commented, almost like a wife dictating her husband's movements over the phone, "Just do it!"

Cradling the phone on his shoulder, pressing it against his ear, Neji put his hands on Blue Gun Shot's chest and gave three heavy pushes. "Now what, Tenten?"

"Place your mouth over hers, hold her nose and breathe out into her mouth and do it fast!" Tenten instructed, looking out the window and sighting the pigeon statue a few buildings away, "I'll be there soon. I can see the pigeon statue."

Neji stared at Blue Gun Shot's pale face and told Tenten, "Good! Run over her quickly so _you _can do the CPR!"

"Hey, do it now! I might take long!"

And so, after a whimper, Neji leaned over to place his lips on his cousin's… until a gunshot came out of nowhere, narrowly missing him. "Ah, shit!" Neji yelled out as he turned around to see who did it. And he found a mysterious man in a hood and sunglasses with a machine gun loaded with live ammo.

"Shino…" Neji muttered, angrily eyeing the leader of the Aburame Black Widow Mafia. He went back to Tenten on the phone, saying, "Tenten, I have company here. Once you're here, please be careful. Very."

At this, Tenten felt the need to get there faster. Hurriedly, she got off the bus, nearly falling over in the haste, and started running for the pigeon statue since the bus she rode wasn't moving due to traffic. "I'm on my way there!" Tenten told him, "Once I'm at the statue, where do I go?"

Taking his gun out, Neji said, "Turn right. From there, don't make turns until you see the yellow closed insurance building. Tell me once you've reached the yellow building, all right? I'll take care of this while you're still not here."

Obedient, Tenten dashed past the statue and after making her way to the right, she didn't stop running. Her feet throbbed as they smashed against the uneven concrete, broken glasses and other things unknown. The alleys seemed to never end, winding her through the paths.

And there, Shino smirked and prepared himself for a shooting frenzy. Cautious, Neji stood up with his .45 at hand and when he felt that the time was right, he darted towards a wide pillar nearby to shield himself. When Shino saw this, he cackled and started shooting for Neji.

Every bullet swerved through the air at a dangerous speed. Neji felt his legs scream in pain, willing to give up. But he threw himself to the back of the pillar and landed with a loud thud. Despite the sting at his side because of the fall, he was ready to put up with this.

Placing the phone back to his ear, Neji called for Tenten, "Where are you now? Reached the yellow building yet?"

Tenten panted and as sweat touched her cellphone, she faintly said, "I'm not yet there! Are you sure there's a yellow building somewhere? It's like I've been running through everything senselessly!" She knew very well that she was slowing down due to exhaustion.

Neji bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm down. _"Oh, gawd, how am I going to try to take care of Hanabi and get rid of Shino all at once? Tenten's not even halfway near. I don't have any of Black Ivory's devices or bombs right now. And I don't have back-up."_

As he caught his breath, Neji told Tenten over the phone, "Tenten! Are you there yet?"

"I'm at the yellow building. What now?" Tenten finally said, almost collapsing at the foot of the building. Still, she was glad to have made it.

Half-grinning, Neji continued his instructions after trying his best to recall his way, "Behind the yellow building is like a staircase leading below the ground; it looks like a subway entrance. Go down there and once you're down there, turn to the third corridor."

Without hesitation, Tenten dragged herself towards the back of the building, tired and worn out. Going down the stairs, her feet rushed through the steps and in the middle of the stairway, she missed a step. Groaning, she tumbled down, letting go of the phone and making it drop to the bottom.

Picking herself up, Tenten rushed to her cellphone and listened to Neji's worried voice at the other end, "Hey, you all right?"

"Yeah, just fell." She answered, trying not to make him think of her fall. The shots she heard from the phone made her cringe worriedly, anxious for him. How was Neji doing? Is he injured? She wanted to fret for him, but the pain that ached at her thigh made her think of herself first.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the blood blotting from the cut on her thigh. And on her thigh, on top of her pants' material, were numerous pieces of broken glass, sharp and offensive. Yet, she knew that there was no time to spare, so she painstakingly moved faster, ignoring the stings.

Practically limping, Tenten paced to the third corridor told her. Through the dimly lit hall, she moaned as her leg seemed to fail her. She wasn't sure, but maybe she had sprained her ankle with the nasty fall. Either way, her diagnosis was unknown, like the conclusion of this moment's tragedy.

Increasingly, she noticed streaks of light coming from the end of the corridor. Assuming that it was a way out, she ran faster, gasping for breath with every move. The blasts echoing from her phone coming from the other side was her only motivation.

And as she ran out of the corridor, she entered the light. Finally, Neji, Hanabi and Shino were in full-view.

"Tenten!" Neji yelled to her, crossing from pillar to pillar, "Go help Blue G out! I'll divert Shino's attention!"

At this, Tenten rolled her eyes in annoyance, thinking, "_My gawd, like Shino didn't hear that!" _And there, she swiftly made her way from the corridor exit towards Blue Gun Shot, lying on the ground.

While Neji dealt with Shino, Tenten was on the side with Hanabi, trying to bring her breathing back. But after several failed attempts, Tenten knew that nothing they could do was going to work. This situation is too complex.

"Neji, I can't do anything!" Tenten admitted, turning to the profusely sweating Hyuga, "She's not coming back with CPR. I don't know what will! We have to take her to a hospital now!" Feeling the urgency, Tenten tried to bring Blue Gun Shot up into her own arms to bring him.

Neji and Shino continued to exchange shots, hiding behind posts every now and then. Neither one was going to give up. But, no doubt about it, Neji was down on his last few bullets while Shino had only a few strings of bullets left. Seeing this, Neji knew that it wasn't worth keeping up.

Reloading his gun behind half a wall, breathed in and promised to himself silently, "_I swear, if ever all three of us get out of her alive, I'll never call Hanabi a bitch again!" _

After a quick internalization, he speedily turned from behind the wall and sent three shots off… then found his opponent not there.

Still searching for Shino from his place, Neji wasn't able to take note of the presence behind him, the cock of a machine gun and the chuckle of a confident Spanish mafia boss.

Only then did he trace the harsh yet thin cackle of Shino at his back, touching Neji's nape with his gun's nozzle. "¿Palabras del ultimo?"

Despite the gravity of the circumstances, Neji jeered in a murmur, "For a moment there, you sounded exactly like Antonio Banderas."

Scowling at the comment, Shino poked the gun harder to Neji's nape, ready to pull the trigger and set off a shower of Hyuga blood. Of course, Neji knew that Shino had disarmed him. Even if he had his gun, the moment he twists to face him, he's done for it.

Squinting his eyes in surrender, Neji waited for the blasts that will end everything. But, instead, he heard a powerful whack resonated from behind him. Almost dumbfound, he dared to turn his head to check out what was going on. There, he found Shino at his feet, moaning and drifting to unconsciousness.

To his sheer shock, Tenten stood before him with her fist balled up in the air, sore. She winced, rubbing her hurting knuckles, as she spoke almost as if she was superior to both him and Shino, "He said 'Any last words?'."

Grabbing Neji by the hand roughly and quickly, Tenten stated, rushing to Blue Gun Shot limply due to her twinges, "Come on, we have to help Blue Gun Shot. She's not breathing yet and— Neji?"

She was cut off when Neji fell from his feet in the middle of their way towards Hanabi. With their hands still held together, Neji groaned in pain while he clutched a portion of his torso, his left side where his skin seemed to rip up. "Aw, shit," he grumbled, "Why now?"

"What is it?" Tenten questioned him firmly, squeezing his hand tight, "What's wrong? Are you wounded?"

Achingly, Neji lowered his gaze to his bleeding side, inspecting it. "Remember the shooting in Ino's pub? I got shot on that day, right? I had the wound treated properly, but I was told that the stitches are still delicate. Too much activity would tear me up literally." At that, he recoiled.

Hearing this, Tenten couldn't help but tingle at the thought of skin splitting up. Even so, she tried to get him to stand up slowly and carefully towards Hanabi. Upon reaching Blue Gun Shot, Neji bent to pick her up, but he ended up grunting with the piercing pain.

Conclusively, Tenten and Neji each grabbed one of Blue Gun Shot's arms and made their vigilant rush towards the way out of the slums area. With Blue Gun Shot as flimsy as a rag doll in their supporting arms, Tenten continued to move with her throbbing ankle and Neji tried to bear the stings that came with his opening wound.

"We have to get you and Hanabi to a hospital fast!" Tenten told him as they painstakingly kept moving, "She needs special attention and you need to get stitched up again. I don't want your cousin to end up dead nor have you bleeding to death!"

"No!" Neji opposed, glaring at her, "Can you take note that we're mafia? We're like outlaws. Do you think any decent hospital will take us in? Probably on the moment we enter the emergency room, they're already plugging away our life source!"

Still, she argued with him, trying hard to convince him that it was what's best for them, "Hospitals are supposed to take care of injured people no matter who they are! It's their job! Can't you trust in that?"

Mulishly, Neji soured his features and shook his head, "Caged Bird HQ is three minutes away from here. We're in a really big hurry, anyway. If you promise to keep quiet, you carjack someone for us, drive there and Blue G and I can get fixed there. Since you're under my eye, they won't kill you, I promise!"

"Oh, come on, like going to your HQ will help get Blue Gun Shot's pulse back or something…"

"My HQ's one of the best. _I _trust _them_."

And there, it struck Tenten. Wasn't Neji, Eagle Eye himself, the one who mentioned something about never putting his trust in anyone? It surprised her that he had so much faith in his mafia, so much belief in them. Because of this, she nodded and said, "So, how exactly are we going to hijack someone from the traffic?"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_He found it pathetic. "Of all the cars on the road…"_

"_Shut up, Screw."_

"…_Of all the trucks in the traffic…"_

"_I'm driving here!"_

"…_Between all the Volvos, Lamborghini Diablos, Ferraris and Corvettes…"_

"Screw, you're not helping me here!"

"…_You just had to carjack the ice cream truck!"_

_She dug her nails into the wheel, yelling, "We're in a hurry, remember? So, keep quiet and let me drive! We're going at more than 120 mph so let me concentrate on the road unless you want us to die in a car crash before lunch time! Shit, men."_

_At the back, Neji snorted at her amid all the ice cream Popsicles and coolers. Hanabi, slumping beside him, was still out cold… like the ice cream. Of course, the melodic yet catchy tune that sang from the truck's megaphone echoed through and through. No doubt about it: It was 'Pop Goes the Weasel'._

"_And turn that fucking thing off!" Neji ordered crossly, ready to fling a yogurt stick down Tenten's collar while she drowned in pressure at the wheel, "It's driving me crazy! And you're trailing children below 6 years old at our bumper! If I were you, I'd back up and run them over!"_

_Discreetly, she chewed on her bottom lip, thinking, _"Wow, and he says I'm a nagger." _Still, she turned it off, nevertheless._

Recalling what happened an hour and three minutes ago wasn't really enjoyable for Tenten. As she sat on Hyuga property (specifically a liger fur sofa in the sixth floor lounge), awkwardly chewing on foreign pastries and licking the English tea from her lips, she awaited the lady's reply.

The elderly woman seated opposite her held a delightful grin amid her loose cheeks. Beyond the pulled back salt-and-pepper hair, the grandmother could only keep smiling as she held up a cup of tea. "Is that so?" she mouthed, her voice unexpectedly shrill like an old palm reader's (palm reader's because her tone had a touch that made her sound right _always_), "Chronologically speaking, those were the proceedings?"

Tenten nodded meekly, donning the tiny frown of the child in her. Her slender fingers even seemed to quiver as he held onto the porcelain teacup she had. It made her wonder. Did she fear this old lady? Why?

And when the elderly woman turned her gaze to her, she couldn't help but shake all of a sudden. She'll be frank: The woman's deep blue pearl eyes sent chills down your spine. It was as if she wasn't someone who'd make a good Mary Poppins… Maybe a Nanny McPhee…

"Tenten, I deduce?"

Fervently, more feverishly though, Tenten bobbed her head in response.

At this, the woman bared her ivory teeth, impressive for someone aged above 90, "I don't believe my grandson has even bothered to introduce me to you." She grunted loudly before adding, "Well, Ji-Ji never really did learn proper decorum from his father. His father did nothing but get rich!"

It shocked Tenten when his grandmother used his _private _pet name.

It was true, though. Once they've arrived at the manor, Neji simply paged for a certain 'Viperess'. This very same old lady came down with three assistants and there, Blue Gun Shot was sent off. Meanwhile, Neji was sent to a specific room to be stitched up again while Tenten followed the elderly woman to the lounge and recounted what happened.

Holding out her bony hand, the woman showed off her bejeweled fingers and wrist, saying, "My true name's Harumi, Neji's grandmother in his mother's side. I'm the infamous Viperess. Foolish name, ne? I am very much pleased to meet you. Hanabi has been telling me so much about you."

All Tenten did was gawk back as she shook hands with Harumi. Sitting back on her seat, Viperess went on after a sip of her sugar-less tea, "Why don't we agree on simply formally addressing me with Madame? I'd very much value that albeit how everyone calls me Madame anyway."

She suddenly got into a fit of laughter, making Tenten uncomfortable all the more. But then, Harumi smiled finely at her guest as she pushed the pastry tray nearer to Tenten as she spoke in her coarse voice, "I'd like to speak with you more; I hope you don't mind my being very articulate. I will not consume more than fifteen minutes of your time."

Talking to a sophisticated elderly lady with a cleaver stare wasn't in Tenten's mind, but what harm would it do?

Once Tenten had put down her cup onto the coffee table before them, Harumi began, "I have always been looking out for my grandchildren, especially Neji since he's the only progeny of my daughter. And I only want to discern fact from assumption with a quick question and an candid answer from you."

When Harumi paused to drink more tea, Tenten couldn't help but notice the old woman's attire and equipment strapped to her shins and cord belt: pockets filled with surgical tools, pouches exploding with cherry bombs and a single cloth purse sagging with countless coins. She obviously approves of her son-in-law being a mafia boss.

Finally, Harumi formed a grim expression as she mouthed her query, "Do you have an affair with my grandson?"

Tenten almost choked on her own saliva at the tasteless and tactless subject. She could've sworn that her fingers almost shook in disgust. "My gawd, no!" she suddenly screamed, regretting it eventually. Unnervingly, Tenten cleared her throat and grinned sheepishly.

But, in spite of Tenten's reaction, Harumi chuckled softly with her beam slowly growing, "Ah, however I see it in the glimmer of your eyes that you wish you did. I am certain that you're telling me the truth, be assured." As she poured more tea into her cup, she added, "I can't blame you."

Tenten's iris seemed to dilate as Harumi 'confronted' her about surreptitious matters. _"Shit," _she shrieked like a mourning banshee in her head, _"Are these mafia people mind readers, too?!"_

Strangely, Harumi laughed again, throwing her head back in amusement. "Oh no, child," she told her, wiping a tear away from behind her thick glasses rimmed with rhinestones, "We're not mind readers. It isn't very complex, even. It just shows in your eyes, my child."

"_Fuck!" _Tenten swore behind her front, _"They _are _mind readers!"_

"And you look like you're very troubled, young lady," Harumi stated, wrapping her features in worry, "I think you have a grueling internal war between studies and love. If I were you, though, I'd put studies first before everything despite amor vincit omnia. Love can always wait. True love, that is."

That did it. Now, Tenten _is infinitely sure _that she's a mind reader.

Eventually, Harumi just ended up snickering devilishly, speaking in her ominous and still croaking voice, "Ah, ah, ah. This is something. Both you and my grandson," she leaned forward before continuing, emphasizing every syllable with a condemning tone, "don't know what you truly want."

All Tenten did was stare back with wide eyes, almost near to foaming at the mouth from insanity. Did old people really find the youth _that _predictable… and stand correct?!

Of course, Harumi had no more intention of mentally disabling the poor girl, so she stood up cautiously, watching her scoliosis, and invited Tenten, "Come, come. I can't leave you here while I'm gone. We're going to check on Ji-Ji now and I'm going to need you. Goodness, I remember when he was about six years old when he fell from the stairs and cried all afternoon. Oh, such juvenile exclusion we gave him!"

Past the sinister and wrinkled up woman, Tenten thought Harumi wasn't so bad for a grandmother. She didn't smell like mothballs. She smelled like Jasmines and roses. She didn't carry a fuzzy, fat cat around. She carried a golden one in her purse. And she wouldn't tell you to eat your vegetables.

Nope. She tells you that you're in love with her grandson. Why do things like this _always _come up?

Past the swirling corridors of velvet carpet and carved frames of pictures, up what felt like a hundred staircases wound with varnished oak and into the tenth door at the right, finally, Tenten saw Neji seated, slouching, amid thick goose feather duvet and satin pillow cases with his shirt off his back with a new bandage wrapped around his torso.

As Tenten walked in with Harumi into the vast bedroom, she couldn't resist looking around. On the walls were pictures of Neji, from his infant days, toddler years, graduation pictures and random photos. Every table had cup circles and every chair had gum under them. Plus, Tenten was sure that he managed to hide the dirty magazines under his mattress.

"How're you now, Ji-Ji?" Harumi asked Neji, stroking his dressed wound carefully.

Neji groaned, looking away from his grandmother, "Madame, please. Don't call me that in front of other people." It surprised Tenten that even Neji called her Madame obligatorily.

As Harumi continued to examine him, Neji simply smiled at Tenten in embarrassment. It was written all over his face: His grandmother has always been this way, even in front of visitors. And he assumes that she had succeeded in making her feel uneasy earlier in the lounge.

After checking Neji's temperature and blood pressure (which, actually, seemed quite unnecessary), Harumi picked up the clipboard with details on his wound's condition and headed for the door. "I'll be back, you two. I merely want to scold the idiot-of-a-nurse who made this substandard record."

When they heard the door close with a click, Tenten sneered at Neji, "Ji-Ji?"

"It's a forbidden name." Neji snapped at her with a grin that was neither glad nor amused, "She's the only one who calls me with that gay name."

Laughing, Tenten neared him, taking a seat beside him on his bunk, "I actually like your grandma. Not really like mine, fortunately. Mine _hated _me. She never really liked seeing me as her grandchild. So, I'm hoping to the heavens that Madame Harumi will adopt me."

Neji chuckled sympathetically, "You'd get sick of eating her pastries everyday."

"At least I have something in my stomach, you know. What is being served to me is superficial. As long as it's edible, it'll do."

"Well, that's typically you, anyway."

After a quick exchange of snickers, Neji suddenly drew what looked like a concerned and reflective face. His left brow seemed to arch involuntarily while his lip pouted deeper. It was palpable to anyone that he's thinking too much of something. But by the looks of it, it wasn't shallow.

Benevolently, she nudged him and questioned, "What, did Madame Harumi tell you something to get you bothered, too?"

Moments of silence came rushing in, with Neji's hesitation to speak up. But sooner or later, eventually, he shrugged and mumbled almost effortlessly with his eyes away, staring at his blanket-clad feet, "Meh, it's nothing. Grandma just asked me something weird earlier."

Tenten cocked a brow. _"No way. She asked him too about the 'You and Tenten don't know what you want' thing?"_

"What did she ask?"

"Nothing really. Just some odd thing about…" he stopped there. He gazed at her at the corner of his eyes, almost jovial in his grin, "what I want."

Unknowingly, Tenten shook a little, absorbing the chilliness of the air more than before. Still, Tenten was more than curious. _What were the two things Neji couldn't decide over and how did his psychic grandma figure it out?"_

Interested, Tenten scooted nearer to him, bringing her bare feet up onto the white sheets with the cold tingling her toes, "That so?" Tenten began, ready to listen to everything, "She asked me, too. But you go first. What two things couldn't you choose over?"

Tenten crossed her fingers under the duvet. She was sure that there were slim chances that he'd feel the same way. Still, it was a fifty-fifty possibility. Recalling the kiss-in-the-car incident and all, there _are _chances. She remained hopeful.

Explaining, Neji replied, telling her everything, "I couldn't choose what I really wanted, she said. I couldn't choose between my obligations as the son of Kosa Hyuga and…" He halted, biting his lip. Fully, he turned to her and felt his cheeks grow warm.

"And…?" Tenten said, wanting him to continue.

But all Neji did was keep his stare blank as he plainly muttered one word that didn't make any sense: "This."

Before Tenten could react, respond or even think of what he just uttered, he had cupped her chin gently, softly and delicately pressing his lips against hers. Taken by surprise, Tenten only sat there and realized what was happening a second too late. Here they were again, kissing. Only this time, the world was at their side.

Tenten came to the conclusion that _everyone _in the Caged Bird Mafia can read minds. Especially Neji Hyuga and Harumi.

Yet, before she decided to kiss him back, she carefully parted her plump lips from his by half a centimeter as she spoke, making Neji's lips tickle as hers moved, "Wait, what are we doing? Wh… What are—" Cutting her off, Neji slid his index finger between their faces, touching her lip lightly as he hushed her.

"I'll tell you what we're doing," he whispered, smirking as their foreheads touched, "We're picking up from where we stopped the other day, in your car. I hope you still remember." Without doubt, Tenten could never forget. And there, he pursed his lips back on hers, this time with her grinning amid the kiss.

This time, they weren't in her car. This time, there was nothing but the sound of the air conditioner's hum. This time, there was no wine. There was no wine to blame. So, she had no right to say that she's drunk or drugged. This time, she's doing everything under her own free will.

Her chances were never slim. They have always been one hundred percent right.

Tenten wrapped her arms around his neck, holding herself closer to his bare upper body. He, on the other hand, had already cupped her whole face in his tender hands. With every second flying by, they both wished that they could take it back, to make the moment feel longer than it already is.

For a split second, Neji let go of her lips and smoothly began to trace a few kisses down her jaw line, saying in an airy whisper, "Okay, so I admit it. We've crossed the border. Somewhere, there's an unwritten law about how illegal it is to have criminals falling in love with their captives and we're breaking it."

At this, Tenten just giggled softly and muttered back to him softly at his ear, "You know what? No one will ever know."

There, they both smiled simultaneously with their eyes simply thin lines, closed in a real-life dream. As the placed their lips back together once again, their warmth overwhelming each other, Neji mumbled with his lips on hers, unhurriedly parting, coordinated with every word, "And another thing: Is this enough proof that I'm an _amazing _kisser?"

Hearing him, Tenten giggled mutely then said with her breath entering him, "More than enough."

Finishing her sentence, Tenten pushed herself closer to him, tightening her hold on him and intensifying the kiss. Between the shifting tilts of the head, the pleased giggles and chasing of lips, Neji knew that his Dad was right: Girls who can kick ass were better. They even kiss better.

As for Tenten, she was sure now. Undoubtedly, undeniably and submissively, she has fallen in love _finally _with someone who seems to be the right guy…

… She was now wondering how Tenten Hyuga sounded.

To the old lady's fortune, the couple was too engrossed to notice the small gap in the door.

"_I knew it."_

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**Me: FINALLY!  
**

**Kankuro: -jumps up in shock-**

**Me: Tenten finally, finally, finally, _finally _admits it without hesitation! She has admitted her love a couple of times before in her mind, yes, but this time, she is not scared anymore! She now fully trusts Neji! She's finally strong! My gawd, they finally had a decent kiss, too!**

**Kankuro: Good gawd…**

**Suspense Questions!**

**Will Hanabi live? Have Neji and Tenten already decided on what they really wanted? If so, **_**do they want each other**_** (LOLing)? When will the secret of Kosa Hyuga's murder reach Neji? How's Shino doing (aside from the massive headache)? Is Hinata going to strike on Neji next? Is Harumi really a mind reader (My grandma can read my mind un-supernaturally, though)? Will Sasuke and Sakura ever get things between them fixed… **_**ever? **_**Will Sasuke accept Isle Sidony? Does Tenten Hyuga sound good (My answer: HELL YEAH!)?**

**And will the controversy between the rivaling Hyuga cousins tear the mafia unit and also tear up Neji and Tenten's relationship with it?**

**Find out soon.**

**By the way, I'm sorry it takes me so long to update. My laptop hours are regulated nowadays (From 24/7 to an hour on weekends. No!) and that's why. It's not writer's block, I swear. –crosses fingers- Alright, and that, too.**

**Thanks for reading, guys! Leave a review! Promise?**


	13. Day Ten: Bargains, Murder, Kiba

**Chapter Summary:**

**Hinata loved playing cat and mouse. She's always the cat.**

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Things didn't look good from where he was and all he could do is keep on repeating it out loud. "This doesn't look good."

Coarse words that ran down his throat, sickeningly thick and warm, that's what they were to him. Still, to the victim, it decided the fate of his innocent life. Why he ended up like this was way beyond everyone present who stood aghast before the corpse…

All they were sure of was that he was dead.

"Definitely dead," the journalist/photographer's assistant confirmed with a life-detecting device and a blood sample, "No pulse, no beat, nothing. He's nothing but a wet, red biological mass now. Good fertilizer, but absolutely not good news."

"Tell me about it," Lee moaned, scratching his head in fury and consternation, "He was Evergreen City's mayor. Stats say that he died of blood loss, major injuries and a bullet, just one, down his chest. Suicide is out of the question. He was murdered, no doubt about it." At this, Lee chewed on his thumb. Chief won't like this.

As Lee scanned the surroundings briefly with his rounded eyes, nothing fit. Even if the mayor lay lifeless on the ground in the middle of the zoo, there was not a trace of stray blood nor a single foreign footstep at the very least, not event the mayor's. The information gave Lee an idea that he was probably dragged into the place.

Although, the surrounding animals, three zebras, a cage of bats, two giraffes and a still sleeping elephant, were neither traumatized, frightened nor conspicuously behaving strangely, giving Lee the idea that he wasn't shot here. Maybe, just maybe, his theory was mistaken.

It formed another doubt. If he was thrown here for disposal, there could've been footprints or even astray blood on the ground at least. To Lee's misfortune, the zoo's whole perimeter is spotless as if nothing like this even happened.

"_They're clever," _Lee thought angrily as his assistant studied the soil under them for any more clues, _"Too clever for my taste. The press doesn't have anything decent to cover this case, so I'm going to have to go my second option. I'm calling Rose for this." _

At this, Lee took out his phone, dialed a very familiar number and started talking when the other end was picked up. "Rose, it's Young Man." He said, almost shaking in his knees, "Murder case 669. 16:38. Emergency. Rush to the city zoo ASAP. One of our agents is dead."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Three gun shots. Exactly. 2-month-old Beretta. Rubber tipped bullets. She's wasting bullets again.

Strangely, Neji wasn't startled by the shots. Not anymore. For the past few hours, from what seems like 10 p.m. to 5:15 a.m. this morning, Tenten has been constantly curling her finger on her gun's trigger with no particular objective. Thank goodness that she only aims at the target they put up on the wall across her bed.

Still, it worried Neji. Either she was turning crazy, turning aggressive or still going berserk over what they _did_last night.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the third reason. Neji chuckled at the thought.

Standing from his comfortable seat on a pile of his unwashed clothes and setting aside the laptop he had on his lap, Neji walked out of his tent. Once again listening to the crunching of the grass beneath him, he felt all his energy evaporating into a Utopia he never knew.

He admits it as Twinkle-Top brushes against him like often. Destiny is really shitty to make him land on this job. Yet, Destiny is a genius. Passing by the washing machine by the glass door first to turn it off to avoid mixing his shirts' colors, Neji has certainly turned more responsible and humble than before.

Who knew, anyway?

Making his way up the stairs, he could feel the vibrations on the banister, the motions of Tenten upstairs, walking around restlessly. Ah, the consequences of laxity. Victims of the night and poison love, the poets would say.

Inevitably, Tenten wasn't sure if she should be just as composed as Neji. After all, _she _is the woman here.

"Neji!" she screamed, shocked out of her wits because of her sudden paranoia, "My gawd, don't do that, coming in without warning. Knock or at least tell me you're coming in, a'ight?" If anyone looked at Tenten now, 4 out of 5 would say that she appears to be… well, to be frank, fine.

At her reaction, Neji merely shrugged and questioned her, "Shot another three bullets over here, Tenten?"

"Sorry," Tenten mumbled in embarrassment, expecting that he'd confirm on the gunshots, "I can't help it sometimes, okay?"

Gun therapy, as Hanabi would call it, is a good way of expressing your anger with some gun power, a .45, some bullets and a _non-living _target. Effective, affirmative. Harmless, lower than negative. Which is why Neji checks up on her with every shot. It was just his luck that Tenten didn't know what a silencer was.

Neji knew that she wasn't done yet. As of now, he has already read Tenten's behavior pattern and is already five steps ahead of her.

First came the apology on the gunshots, which already came. Second, she sobs a little…

And there, as if on cue with his thoughts, Tenten falls onto her bunk and starts to blubber, her lips a crooked line and her eyes wet with beady salty tears. She neither hiccups nor wipes the teardrops away, oddly. Obligatorily, Neji sits beside her, wraps an arm around her shoulders and whispers, "Crying won't get you anywhere."

And precisely after that line, she'd burst angrily.

"Well, wrapping your arms around me won't get us anywhere either, you know!" Tenten screamed at him, jabbing her elbow softly at his ribs, "This is all your fault! All! Your! Fault! This wouldn't have happened to me… to _us_… if you didn't kiss me like that back there! You should've controlled…"

Neji would just silently listen to her ramble about how everything was his fault, but once she was done telling him all about his faults, she'd suddenly shift her beliefs.

She shakes her head, muttering, "But I can't blame you. You're a guy. You've got your hormones and I've got mine. It's nobody's fault, then. I guess we just have to face the facts. But thanks for still being here with me." At this point, she'd huddle nearer to his chest, giving the impression that she was his baby now.

And it was Neji's cue now to finish the sequence for now.

He rubbed her bare shoulder lovingly as he seemed to cradle her subtly. He'd softly brush his lips on her tiny forehead, making her gently squint her eyes shut as the hush of the moment was all they could feel. It felt like heaven in their own little way.

Then, Neji would speak up, in a discreetly amused tone yet he was careful not to offend her, "You know, Sweetheart, I already told you over and over again: You're not pregnant. Despite last night, you're not, alright?"

The Sweetheart pet name only popped up on the moment, slipping from between Neji's delicate lips. Still, hearing his words, Tenten's eyes shot open and she whispered back, almost choking on her words, "I'm not."

"I already told you this morning, remember?" Neji told her mutedly, caressing her sweetly as he rested his cheek on her head, "The result came in from the test and I was right: You're not pregnant. So, yeah, maybe you'd want to stop sulking and all, okay?"

With that, Tenten replied immediately, "I know that. How could I forget something you told me a few hours ago?"

At her answer, Neji cocked a brow, "Then why are you acting like this, then?" He didn't see this coming at all.

Tenten merely shrugged and told him, "It's a complicated thing," she disclosed, "Sure, I'm ultimately glad that I'm not pregnant, but at the same time, I'm a little disappointed that I'm not. But, if I really ended up pregnant, I'd run around in panic endlessly with not the slightest piece of happiness in me. But, if last night didn't happened, I'd be all shitty and…"

Neji didn't like this. Why did women have to make _everything _complicated? He didn't know what they really want.

Silencing her with his finger on her lips, Neji mumbled, "Spare me the counselee act for later. I still have errands for today. And so do you. Ino called up last night, Lee said, and told you to rush to the pub as soon as you can. I have no idea what she wants you to do."

"Then, let's run to Ino's now."

"No, _you _go run to Ino's, Sweetheart. I said I have errands."

"But you're supposed to be with me, both for duty and personal reasons. Am I right?"

"Look, I'd spend the day with you if I could, doing whatever we want. Blue G just called me up and told me to spare an hour for a meeting."

"Oh, Blue Gun Shot!" Tenten exclaimed, almost excitedly, "How is she?"

Neji smiled a tiny grin and updated Tenten on his cousin, "She's doing good, I assume. When I got her call, her voice was still quaky but she says Grandma really took care of her. She'll be up in a few days."

Hearing the news, Tenten carved a grateful smile as she nodded and told Neji, "Then, go to that meeting. I'll go to the pub and you better pick me up after your meeting, okay?"

Thankful, Neji nodded back and airily replied with a soft thank-you. Hurriedly, he pushed himself from the bed and made his way towards the bedroom door. But before he left, before Tenten even got up to start dressing up, Tenten couldn't help but state one, just one, question…

"Hey, Neji," she began, hesitant. Once Neji had turned around, Tenten gave the question, "If I _was _pregnant, what could we have done?"

The mob boss pretended to think about it behind the blush, "I dunno," he dishonestly answered, shrugging, "We could get married. I love you, anyway." And there, as if he said nothing, he pushed past the door and exited into the second floor's corridor.

As for Tenten, she merely smiled there, gluing her eyes on where Neji stood as he said those words. The moment replayed in her mind like a broken record. And his statement haunted her beautifully.

"…_We could get married… I love you, anyway…"_

It was official: Neji Hyuga has mentioned marriage.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_Whack._

"Agh!"

The mauled man fell onto the wooden floor, bloodied and ripped apart. At the sides were his mafia's main members, helplessly watching him bleed. His sunglasses shattered under his temples, crunching along with the sound of his bones crackling near his jaw. He has taken too many punches laden with clout. For a girl, his assailant could pack a _real _punch.

"You dirty, little, bloody, shit, yes you are," the woman growled at her victim, grinding her teeth under her breath, "I make you do a simple job that every other fucking moron can do without difficulty and you fail _again_! First your henchman, your _best _henchman, now _you_?!"

Shino tried to pull himself up with the last ounce of energy left in him, yelling at her, "Well, if you think you're so smart, then do it yourself, bitch! I've had it with you and your mafia, anyway! My mafia can go on without you or the money you pay me!"

Creasing her forehead with lines, Hinata screamed shrilly before pulling crudely at her soft locks, getting her frustration out. After minutes of frustration, Black Ivory breathed out through her mouth ever so quietly and calmed down, her brows untangling.

Transformed for the moment, Black Ivory unperturbedly held out her tainted nails, shining with a lusted red, checking for imaginary dirt. "Shino Aburame," she spoke, the name said as cold as ever, "We have agreed on certain terms, specifically the condition that I am to pay you with every done task. But, the scoreboard reads: Eagle Eye: 2. You: 0."

Shino hoped it wasn't so, but he had an idea of where this was going. All he could do was swear in his mind abruptly.

"Unfortunately, we, I mean _I_, never expected you to fail more than once." Black Ivory firmly stated, dilating her periwinkle eyes through Shino's bug black ones, "I expected more from the leader of the Black Widow. And, we also never expected that slowly, the police will uncover our plans dust by dust."

Shino, undoubtedly, had no idea what she was talking about. Police? It sounded impossible.

And so, Black Ivory bent down to stare him straight at the face and whisper angrily, "You know very well the mafia code, Mr. Aburame: Once the police is on the chase, _destroy_, _eliminate _or _eradicate _every witness, piece of evidence and proof you may have…

… It just so happens that I plan to do _all three_ in the worst case scenario."

Not taking her eyes off of Shino, Black Ivory snapped her fingers at the six apprentices she brought with her. She smiled the smile of Hitler. "I want all of the members of the Black Widow swimming in their own blood…" Suddenly, a scowl raged onto her jaw as she bellowed finally, "… Now."

There, simultaneously, the six Hyugas taking the side of Hinata took out their primary weapon, 2 yards of chicken wire, from their boots and did what they did best: choke and slice all at the same time. As shrieks and more bright crimson tainted the room, Hinata's scowl deepened at Shino.

"You, my friend," Hinata grunted, sliding the chicken wire from her boot, "had the privilege of watching your friends die."

Actually, Shino simply glanced away in fear as his henchmen were executed mercilessly in one second, losing the so-called privilege Black Ivory mentions wordlessly. But once the chicken wire was already slithering around his neck, he felt the lump in his throat grow without a halt.

"Good night, Mr. Aburame," Black Ivory muttered through her clenched teeth, "Sweet dreams."

And there, with a swift and forceful tug on both ends of the wire, Hinata smirked at the sadistic thoughts that entered her as Shino fell on his side, not the least breathing but very much literally drowning in his own blood.

Hinata loved playing cat and mouse. She's always the cat.

Once she has satisfied her blood lust by staring at the glowing, spilt blood from who was once her tyro, Black Ivory turned to the silenced prisoner she held at the far corner of the stained rooms. Her majestic eyes gleamed restively at the captive, tied to the chair with a cloth over his lips.

Wiping her dripping hands on the sides of her leather jeans, Black Ivory neared the captive. "I heard you were working with the police when you low life shits went looking for anyone who worked with the Caged Bird." She mentioned in a superior tone, "Am I right?"

The poor man could only nod, afraid for his life after seeing what had happened to seven able-bodied mafia men earlier.

At his frightened reaction, Hinata's grin crept wider. It always pleased her whenever she is feared. "Kiba Inuzuka, I presume?"

It terrified the captive all the more to discover that the crazed mafia bitch knew his name… flawlessly.

As she untied the rough cloth that circled his jaw to keep him quiet, Hinata went on, "From what my assistants have researched on, you are neither a part of any mafia nor a graduate of criminology. You are nothing but _a gym instructor. _Bicep development program, correct?"

Again, he just nodded despite the urge he suddenly felt as he sensed the cloth come undone behind his head, Black Ivory's slim fingers twiddling with tuffs of his brown hair once in a while. Strangely, even if she seemed horrific to a certain extent, Kiba felt welcome with her touch.

As his ability to speak audibly returned, Kiba got his dry throat cleared silently. "So," Black Ivory whispered, tracing his jaw almost stridently, "What is your purpose here? Why would you get involved in a fucked-up life as such?"

Intently, Kiba reminded himself to play fair and obedient. His mouth felt dry yet thick with saliva as he tried to speak up, "I'm… I… I tried to… But…"

The cut up words continued to escape him but once Hinata got fed up, impatient, she stepped back from him and exclaimed, near to grabbing his collar, "May I remind you, Mr. Inuzuka, that I have the initiative to use _every_ interrogation technique possible just to get you to speak up?!"

Kiba had no idea what was coming.

When he didn't talk, Hinata rolled her eyes, snapped her fingers and growled to a nearby assistant, "Get my toolbox." At the command, Black Ivory smirked. Kiba was finally shaking. Still, he had no idea how much pain was in store for him.

Hinata flipped the golden plated tool box set on her lap. Enjoying herself as she hummed, Black Ivory deliberately picked up one tool after the other, from miniature maces, pliers that had blood stains on the sides to carving knives that were surely not used for vegetable decoration.

"Let's try this again, Kiba," she mumbled, still rummaging for the perfect tool, "Why are you working with the police? Being a civilian, you're probably a witness. Witnesses usually know something I don't." She took out a granite-headed hammer. "And I think it's only fair that you get to share your knowledge."

With this, her minions gathered around them, arms folded across their chests. One of them slipped his left arm out of the rope's grapple and laid his hand onto the arm of the chair. There, she forcefully stuck packaging tape on his forearm, taping his arm to the chair as Black Ivory questioned, "What do you know?"

Kiba knew that anything out of him would harm Tenten, which was one of the last things he'd want to happen. He has made too many mistakes as her friend nowadays. First the suggestion to leave Neji, then the building collapse (which is why his left wrist is bound due to a twist) and now this.

He failed to say anything. And at this, Black Ivory crashed the hammer's head onto one of his fingers, making him scream utterly in pain. His hand felt numb and he didn't dare look at his crushed finger. If there was any blood, he didn't want to know.

"I am _not _playing games here!" she shrieked, pressing the chilly hammer's head on his cheek, "Do you know anything about me?!"

"_Just answer no,"_Kiba thought to himself, _"It'll be all worth it, I swear. Tell her nothing." _

"N-No." came the reply. Hinata crushed another finger, making another yell escape Kiba. She was merciless.

"Do you know anything about Eagle Eye Hyuga?" Her voice neither quivered nor shook.

"N… No…"

_Whack!_ Yet another scream and a new stream of tears.

"Kiba Inuzuka, speak up!"

Even with the sensitive pain striding in his fingers, he moaned, "No, no… No…"

Again, Black Ivory slammed the hammer onto his fingers, this time almost with the intention of chunking it off. Tiny drops of blood flew to the assistants' faces, yet they didn't even move to wipe it off. Such bloodlust.

"You're running out of fingers, Kiba!" Hinata shrieked at him, slicing her finger down his cheek again, "Now tell me: What do you know?!"

"I know nothing!" Kiba shouted back with tears slivering down his face from the unbearable pain, "Nothing, nothing, nothing!"

Irritated, Black Ivory tossed the hammer over her shoulder and stated, "Hm, maybe the hammer has no effect on you at all. You give me no choice, Kiba. Unless you talk, I will not limit myself in killing you little by little."

Kiba flinched. The scent of blood poked at his nose, making his eyes water all the more. The blurred sight of his mauled fingers sent shivers down his spine. The shattered bones imitated pebbles at a riverbank, damp.

Taking something out of her toolbox, Black Ivory screamed again, demanding an answer right away, "If you're not going to talk, you're going to meet the same fate the Black Widow mafia faced!" And Kiba's eyes widened at the sight.

What looked like a giant nutcracker was held up before him… only this giant nutcracker had the sharpest teeth. It didn't look like something for opening nuts. It looked like something for cracking bones into two.

Black Ivory handed the tool to an apprentice, saying, "Position it on his right leg. Whenever I give the signals, push the handles together slowly." As the apprentice fixed the apparatus on his leg, Kiba was tempted to tell her everything now.

"Want to talk now?" Black Ivory asked, wiping her hands free from the red stains with a handkerchief, "Let's try again: What is your business here?"

Still, Kiba squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for a round of physical pain again. "… I'm not talking…"

And there, Black Ivory sighed and murmured, "Push." As ordered, the apprentice pushed on the two handles, slowly pressing the apparatus' teeth harder onto Kiba's shin. Tiny blots of red poked from Kiba's pants as he cried harder and louder.

"I'm talking, I'm talking!" Kiba submissively shrieked with the tearing of his flesh. Black Ivory heard every word almost too clearly. She made the torture stop as she awaited Kiba's reply.

"I'm… a… friend of Eagle Eye's captive, Tenten," Kiba admitted, panting and absorbing the pain everywhere, "I tried to get Tenten out of it, but I failed in everything. So, I ran to the police for help. I told them about the Caged Bird Mafia, even if I didn't know much. Police said they didn't know Eagle Eye, but they knew you. So, we went to look for you to help Tenten escape. It was a save-and-eliminate plan."

Kiba wanted to add more, but he decided to conclude, "I just wanted… to help a friend… I'm no witness to any of your crimes… Just Eagle Eye's…"

There, Black Ivory's grin grew wider and longer. Her brain tickled with an idea. "Do you want revenge for what he is doing to you and your friend, Mr. Inuzuka?" Her question almost sounded like an offer.

Candidly, Kiba nodded almost faintly from the torturing, "I want to get rid of Eagle Eye! I want to break his hold from my friend!" Kiba thought that since Black Ivory was also a Hyuga, she'd be offended with the words and just kill him. To end the pain, he'd rather die now.

But, strangely, Black Ivory didn't even think of reaching for her gun. In fact, she told one of her men to get their medic. Kiba sat there in suspicion as Black Ivory explained, "I am the half of the Caged Bird that is _against _my cousin's side of the family. It's safe to say that we're on the same side."

It was hard to believe for Kiba, yet very fortunate. "I can help you." Black Ivory proposed as someone lifted his pants' leg to treat his interrogation wounds, "My, well, _our _plan is to get rid of Eagle Eye. By doing so, I get the birthright and hierarchy position I want and you get to save your friend. We both have something to gain afterwards, to make it simple."

As Black Ivory continued, Kiba became more interested, "You tell me where Eagle Eye is and I will take care of him for you. We win, he loses…" And with a quick slice of the rope that bound Kiba, Black Ivory finished, "I'm sure you can't refuse such an offer, Mr. Inuzuka."

Everything was becoming clearer to Kiba. It was strange. It felt strange. Yet, a smile carved onto his jaw. While he was getting treated for the injuries inflicted onto him, he simply said as if he was never afraid in the first place, "We'll make a very good team, Ms. Hyuga."

"Please," Black Ivory whispered, sliding her nail under Kiba's chin almost sweetly, "Call me Hinata."

She smiled back at him. His grin yearned for victory in saving a friend. Hers flawlessly said, _"Finally, I have a use for you."_

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The sound of breaking glass and a thump against the wall came from Blue Gun Shot's recovering room.

Alert, Harumi rushed to the room, worried. "Hanabi? Hanabi!" she called out as she briskly raced through the narrow hall. Solemn faces of generations of Hyuga stared at her as she paced towards the door, her steps quickening.

"Hanabi!" Harumi exclaimed as she pushed the door open, "Hanabi, are you alright, lass?"

Groaning, Blue Gun Shot pushed herself slowly from the frosty floor in her nightgown with her hair in places. "I'm fine, Mamam," the girl assured her grandmother unconvincingly, amiably using her grandmother's nickname, "I just tried my skateboard for a little while. Nothing to worry abou—"

"Oh, you little duckling!" Harumi exclaimed as she rushed to Blue Gun Shot's side, helping her up, "Hanabi, dear, you know how you're still recovering from your state yesterday. How can you even think of getting up? And how many times have I told you that ladies don't stand on painted planks on four wheels?"

Hanabi rolled her eyes as she cringed because of the prickles on her buttocks, where she landed, "It's a skateboard, Mamam. And I don't wanna be a lady anyways. Can I have some Screwdriver?" Screwdriver was a cocktail made up of vodka and orange juice. Hanabi's personal favorite.

"No, you may not!" Harumi loudly said, aiding Blue Gun Shot back onto her bunk, "One, I can call that… that _thing _of yours whatever I want. Two, you _have _to be a lady! No one can change that, dear. And three, you're too young for a Screwdriver."

Watching her grandmother take the skateboard, Hanabi complained, "Do you have any idea how boring it is in here, Mamam? All I can do is stare at the ceiling, feed the parrots paper or play stare down with the sunlight coming in until my eyes sting." At this, she heaved an annoyed sigh and questioned, "I don't even have a gun to play with!"

"You should not play with guns!" Harumi told her grandchild as she picked up the broken teacup and teapot from the floor, "And you shouldn't play stare down with the sun either. You could hurt your eyes." With everything at hand, Harumi added, "And don't feed Martha paper! You could poison her!"

It pained Hanabi how the parrot in the bronze cage that hung by the door was named Martha. Harumi then stated, "I heard that you told your cousin Eagle Eye to pass by?"

Blue Gun Shot fervently nodded with a passive glare. "Cuz and I need to talk about business things. You wouldn't be interested, Mamam. And don't worry: We're not going to talk about anything PG 13." _Unless you're not in the room, though, _Hanabi thought mischievously.

"Business again, dear?" Harumi meekly said, "Can't you take a break, Hanabi? You're really busying yourself with a life of crime, you and your cousin. Do you remember back then when you used to play dress-up with your sister? Do you still do that?"

Blue Gun Shot swore under her breath. She ultimately hated it whenever her grandmother tried to make her feel guilty. She was just lucky to be trained a mercenary. "Mamam, I was seven. I'm fourteen now. Older. Besides, my sister's a psychotic bitch now! _She _was responsible for getting me hurt, right?"

Still, Harumi pursed her lips and said, "Well, if you, Hinata and Neji didn't decide to take the mafia life, you three wouldn't be in such terms."

"We chose this on our own, Mamam. You know that." Hanabi stated, still looking cross, "And you're in no position to speak. You shouldn't be reprimanding us three indirectly about taking the mafia road. You're taking the same road, which is why you're here."

"No, no, no," Harumi opposed gently, shaking her head on her way out, "The only reason why I'm here is because you three are. Without your parents here, there's no one to take care of you but me." And there, Harumi exited with Blue Gun Shot's skateboard and broken porcelain.

Blue Gun Shot chewed on her nails. Why did her grandmother enjoy making her suffer with guilt-influencing statements? And another question is: How come she still has a conscience? Mafia should have none. It's a golden rule.

"_Ni-chan, does this look good on me?"_

Everything was getting screwed up, definitely. She's dead bored, injured and her conscience was rising from the dead. Her sister's deranged and plotting to kill every Hyuga left just to get the birthright. And her cousin, Neji, is busy fucking a girl, who is someone he's supposed to be holding captive, not making out with.

"_Of course, Hanabi! You always look good!"_

Her grandmother, Harumi, is the last one alive but she was here amid all the chaos they bring instead of sleeping on a hammock in Puerto Rico with all the other Hyuga grandparents. Their parents were all dead, including Neji's father, Kosa Hyuga who was killed by his own niece.

"_Where's Cousin Neji, Ni-chan? He promised to attend my 12__th__ birthday party!"_

Seriously, what happened to their family? What happened to her?

_"Nah, he's out, somewhere. Probably in a club again. You know him. Anti-socially social."_

When she turned 12, Hanabi was exposed to the truth on mafia life and the bloodline that she had to follow. She had a choice: Either she took the road to becoming a major part of the Caged Bird and take her gun or fly to Puerto Rico and rot there as an ordinary little girl. She believed that the first choice was the best.

And so, as she grasped her first gun for the first time on the night of her 12th birthday, Hanabi got her codename Blue Gun Shot because she uses blue bullets, even to this day.

At this, she snorted, propped her legs up and mumbled through the intercom, "I want a Screwdriver up here."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

After noon, Tenten approached the pub that was slowly coming into view from where she was. The sticker on the door said _Closed for Renovation_, but the talking billboard was still functioning rather well, to everyone's surprise.

"Oh, there you are," Ino's familiar voice ringed back at her. She was standing just outside the pub, counting wads of money while Shikamaru brought boxes of beer to her feet, "I'm glad you could come. I am paying you, after all, so you _should _come."

Tenten walked towards Ino curiously. What the hell was she doing? "Since the pub is closed for renovations for that shooting shit from last time, I decided another marketing scheme." Ino motioned for Tenten to follow her inside the pub.

Pushing the entrance open, Ino entered the pub. "Voila," she remarked, holding her hand out at the interior of the pub. Tenten stared at everything in the place. The walls were done already, newly painted even. The furniture was gone, except for benches that were placed everywhere. The counter remains and the alcoholics are still there.

What really caught her eye was what sat on the middle.

"A mechanical bull?" Tenten mumbled in question as she stared at the huge, wooly machine, "A mechanical bull? I don't get it. Are you starting a high-tech rodeo?"

"Of course not," Ino growled, eyeing her pathetically, "I'm going to re-open the bar with a new attraction and that new attraction is this mechanical bull. I'm getting all of my employees back to work, but I have a special job for you."

Tenten cocked her brow in question. "Me?"

"Yep," Ino said, smiling, "You're going to be what I'd like to call _The Bull Wrangler_."

"And… what does the Bull Wrangler do, exactly?"

Smugly, Ino fanned herself with the dollar bills she held and mentioned, "Nothing hard, actually. Simple, even. You just operate it, that's all. I'm sure you can manage that!" Distinctively, Ino pointed at the control panel on the mechanical bull's nape, behind the head and said, "There's the power switch. You just flip it on and off."

Still, despite the simplicity and under-complexity of everything, Tenten was suspicious. "How come _I _have to do it? And it's so special… why?"

"No one else will do it."

"Why so?"

Ino knew a demonstration would do her good. So, with a whistle, Ino summoned her newest recruit, Kurenai (who is actually older than her by decades), and ordered, "Do me a favor, Kurenai-san, and please start the mechanical bull." It was the first time Ino ever said _please_.

With that, Kurenai lifted her short skirt a few inches above her knees' peak and climbed onto the bull gracefully, circling her thighs around the fuzzy bull. After she flipped the switch, the bull came to life, rocking to and fro violently as Kurenai hung on tight lest she fall to the ground.

Her hair swam in the air with the bull's movements and onto the bull's back, she frankly looked seductive and tasteful (refer to boys for that kind of description of a woman). "Aside from the fact that the bull can knock you over or hit you any time, customers may need a push up, too. You're a strong girl. You can do it."

"… My job is to look like a whore?!" Tenten screamed, infuriated as Kurenai hopped off the bull after turning it off, "Do you have any idea what Eagle Eye will see when I see me _letting loose like that like some slut_?!"

Ino snorted and said, "No, your job isn't to look like a whore! That's my job!" Tenten stifled a laugh as Kurenai went on, "Your job is just to turn the bull on and off for customers who want to ride it. You're also the one who'll collect the 5 dollars they'll pay up for to ride the bull. Got it?"

Tenten chewed on her lip. Sounded fair, except for the men who will probably jeer at her. "How much is my salary?"

"Still the same. Plus half of the 5 dollars you collect from customers who want to ride the bull."

"Alright, alright, I'll do it. As long as I have a job." Tenten sighed, walking past her employer and into the dressing rooms yet again. This was the disadvantage of working in a bar run by a prostitute (or at least someone who could be one): Your job can turn sensual sometimes.

Ino pocketed the wads of money she had and let Tenten in on the information, "Tomorrow, come to work like always at 10 and you can go home at 5. Today, you can go home since your work starts tomorrow. Understood?" All Tenten did was nod. With that, Tenten turned to leave.

"Oh, by the way…" Ino called to her before leaving. As Tenten turned around, Ino grinned devilishly and said, "I'll make a promise: If you earn more than 30 dollars on any night with the mechanical bull payments, I'll let you and your mafia boyfriend take a ride. Trust me, it's fun."

Tenten snickered. That wasn't a bad idea.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Neji blinked painstakingly behind the afternoon sun as he entered the bank. The brown contacts were stinging his eyes, making them water. With his hair pulled back under the jacket hood, no one can tell that he's a mob boss. Still, his .45's cocked, tucked safely on his belt.

He shifted in the line of the ATM as his turn came. He quickly pulled Sasuke's card from his pocket and fed it to the machine. As the digital screen lit up with stiff words regarding transactions and account balances, Neji went to check Uchiha's total balance again.

It still had about 155 million and the maximum transaction he can make is 20,000 dollars. So, he did so, pressing the buttons swiftly. The whirrs of the machine internally were quite perceptible. As the money slid from the thin slot, Neji imagined what he planned on doing after tomorrow's transaction from Sasuke's card, which he swore would be his last one.

He didn't want Sasuke to go looking for him because he emptied his ATM card balance, so he plans on only taking as much as he needs, which is 10,000 for Tenten's debt and a few more thousands for another reason which he plans on revealing to Tenten some other time.

Neji waited for the receipt to come out and as he held out his hand impatiently, he couldn't help but look left and right. If anyone recognizes him, he could get caught. Finally, the tiny slip of paper fell onto his palm.

But when he was about to leave, a firm hand grasped him followed by a gruff and very unfamiliar voice. "Son, d'ya mind if you comes w'me for a minute?"

_Shit._

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Some people are getting hungry. Skipping lunch did nothing good to the Org team.

The autopsy led the Org team nowhere, even. As Rose Pierce removed the mask from her mouth to get a whiff of hospital air (No better than the stench she gets from the mask, but healthier she assumes), she stated with the scalpel at hand, "Not only was he shot. He's got numerous injuries everywhere."

Taking his own mask from his jaw, Lee questioned, "I know. Holes around his wrists, slashes circling his shins, crushed fingers and screws brutally yet professionally driven down his back. If I didn't know better, I'd say these injuries are because of—"

"Interrogation?" Rose mentioned, finishing his sentence for him, "Yes, I thought that, too. But if these _are _interrogation wounds, then the interrogation techniques used on him are ancient, almost thousands of years old."

Lee nodded in agreement as he carefully prepared a wet mound of the corpse's tissues for the compound microscopic examination. "I know only a few criminals who use such techniques. All the other criminals would just shoot you if you didn't speak up."

As Rose ran her gloved hand over the mayor's deep wounds, she stated, "Unless, of course, these aren't due to any interrogation nor torture. Maybe they want to frighten everyone in the Org." She shook at the thought of it.

Adjusting the coarse adjustment knob while peering through the microscope's eyepiece, Lee muttered, "Well, who knows? Maybe they interrogated him _and _sent back the corpse, through the zoo grounds, to scare us all."

Rose shrugged. Even if she loved opening things up to see what was inside and become more fascinated, she flinched at the stare of the cadaver at her. It made her sigh to know that this dead man used to be an agent, too, someone who also used to work in the medical division like her.

"Despite the fact that political officers usually are blacklisted, I doubt that agent here was assassinated because he's mayor." Lee added, taking notes of the tissues' image, "But if anyone were to kidnap this mayor, they'd hold him for ransom instead of killing him."

Rose turned to him and suggested, "I'll get someone to investigate on the bullet. I'll go flip through the criminal history later so we can get a lead on our Jack the Killer here. Anything weird on the tissues, Young Man?"

Nodding, Lee took the slide from under the objectives and transferred it into an electron microscope, where the image of the slide is projected onto the white screen nearby. After turning the adjustment knobs, the image on the screen became clearer than earlier amid the bright screen.

"There's nothing wrong with the tissues, actually," Lee commented, recording it into his clipboard, "except for the fact that all of the cells are dead, which is… well, expected."

Again, Rose heaved a heavy sigh. Working with dead people always made her tear up. Lee stored the slide safely in the DNA record cabinet. Then, he proceeded to pry the corpse's eyelids open to see the man's pupils, if they were dilated or not.

After recording his find, he told Rose, "His pupils are dilated, which means he died in a dark place, probably an alley or a room, which means we might not have any witnesses. This is bad, Rose. The case might not even be closed." It was what he feared the most.

But then, something got to him. Case. This agent was working on a certain case. The case revolved around a murder of three employees in a lingerie boutique, Peach Poppy's Lingerie Shop. And the prime suspect was Black Ivory Hyuga and only this agent knew. He wasn't to expose it to the police till next week.

Maybe, Black Ivory got rid of him so she can't get a police chase tailing her around. Also, she must've interrogated him so he can tell her where the file on that certain case was so the record can be destroyed. Still, no one can ever be sure if he sang or not.

"Rose," Lee started in a stern tone, "I want to know who in our criminal records have used the interrogatory techniques used on agent… _now_."

Hearing the urgency in Lee's voice, Rose rushed to the notebook laptop beside the compound microscope and began scanning through the computer files filled with criminal identities and crimes. Then, after she typed in the word _Interrogation Specialist_, she got six results, where only two fit the matches…

Black Ivory Hyuga and Spider Shino Aburame.

"_Bingo," _Lee thought as he and Rose glared at the screen in satisfaction, _"We have a lead."_

Quickly, Lee accessed the top secret criminal records stored in the agents' individual files. After accessing the mayor-agent's solder, Lee gasped.

Indeed, Hinata deleted the crime record. Clever bitch, she was.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Mousse of Foie Gras, Fugu Sushi and Croquembouche.

It has been a long time since Tenten last got a good look at fattened duck liver, bought a pack of Fugu fillets (She wouldn't risk her life and try to eat a poisonous fish no matter how delicious it is) and tried to pronounce a French pastry's name. Dinner will be perfect. She's been preparing things since she came home. Still, she was sure that it's all worth the hardships since she's celebrating getting her job back with Neji (okay, and Lee) tonight.

As Tenten chopped up the foie gras on the chopping board, she sang along with the belching radio to the song _Fallen _by Lauren Wood.

_I can't believe it, you're a dream comin' true.  
I can't believe how I have fallen for you.  
And I was not looking, was content to remain.  
And it's ironic to be back in the game._

While she carried the chunk of duck fat in her hands towards the fridge, Tenten twirled in a state of lovesickness. Strangely and very ironically, things were going smooth. Back then, she thought Neji would ruin her life.

But here she was, chirping in a sweet tone as she recapped how everything is better. She's got one hot, kick ass bodyguard/boyfriend, money enough to be added to her college tuition fund (Thanks to Lee's rent) and Neji was paying her debt for her. Plus, she has her job back. Oh, and she's not pregnant.

Everything feels so beautiful.

_You are the one who's led me to the sun.  
How could I know that I was lost without you?_

Laying out the nori, Tenten danced perkily with the song's tone. It was amazing how love can do you wonders.

_And I want to tell you, you control my rain…  
And you should know that you are life in my veins._

But little did she know that a black Corvette soundlessly parked in front of her mansion. The car windows slowly and cautiously lowered, revealing the faces of two men with machine guns. One of those men, seated at the back seat beside a black-clad woman, had three fingers gone.

Luckily, Tenten peeked out of the window, past the kitchen curtains above her sink. _"That's definitely not Neji," _she said in her head. There, something tugged at her. She saw the men cock their guns. They were going to shoot.

Instinctively, Tenten ran from the window with the intention to escape the shots. But once the glasses started to shatter due to the flying bullets, she dropped herself onto the wooden floor, her arms over her head. Everything felt like the pub incident, only now, Neji wasn't there… again.

Everything got hit, including a spot near her healing and wound up injury from yesterday's situation in the slums. As she screamed at the shot, Tenten felt the whole world fall apart all around her. Picture frames fell from their hooks, her Croquembouche tower crumbled and the radio croaked, making way for the sound of ricocheting bullets.

With blood in her hands, Tenten turned her head all around to look for the nearest phone. To her luck, the kitchen phone was merely an arm's reach away. At this, she pulled on the cord and when the phone crashed to her, she started dialing Neji's cellphone number.

In between the firing, Tenten could hear the ringing tone in her ears, never ending. Very bad timing.

All of a sudden, the shots ceased. It could've been to Tenten's relief if it wasn't for the sound of car doors opening and closing. Thinking fast, she pulled herself up, but collapsed again at the weight of her new wound. _"Geez, why am I always getting hit there?"_

But when she heard fists trying to break the door down, she tried to think straight.

The two men in black jackets and black slacks ruthlessly entered the house without warning. Turning the tables, inspecting behind the sofa and examining every crook and cranny of the room, they realized that nobody seemed to be home. But Kiba had doubts. Who would leave their house with kitchen tools and ingredients laid out?

Someone was definitely home.

"_But then, Hyuga must've escaped in the nick of time. Knowing bastards like him, he's slick." _Kiba assumed, pocketing his gun. But before he could motion for his assistant to move out with him, he noticed a trail of blood, scraping the floor, beginning at the kitchen and trailing across the living room.

"Go out." Kiba told his accomplice, "I'll be out in a minute." As the other man left, Kiba followed the trail of blood instinctively, like a predator trying to find a way towards his prey. He followed the bloodstains, walking noiselessly through the carpeted floor. There, the trail stopped before the glass door leading to the pocket garden.

Kiba proceeded to push open the sliding door and looked around in the grass lawn. The tent surprised him, though. As Twinkle-Top hissed at him, he tore the tent apart, hoping to find someone or anything valuable that could help them in their chase. Past the clothes, the blankets and the empty bullet shells, there was nothing… and no one.

Giving up, Kiba reentered the house, towards the front door to leave.

Luckily for Tenten, no one looks inside the outhouse. Catching her breath, careful not to make a sound more than a heave of breath. The trickling blood at her leg hasn't stopped, expectedly, and hurriedly, she dialed for Lee's number, praying that he doesn't have a busy tone.

"Hello?" the voice at the other end spoke.

"Lee, it's Tenten," she choked on her words as she whispered to the receiver, "Some car of snipers shot my house from outside—"

Lee almost dropped the laptop on his lap. "What?! Are you hurt?" Lee exclaimed, jolting Rose Pierce, who was reassembling the blood slide on her microscope. After a sympathetic look at Rose, Lee went back to his phone to hear Tenten's reply.

"I'm… I'm shot."

"My flippin' gawd, the idiot got shot!"

"Lee, this is not helping!"

"Well, don't you know that whenever a person asks you if you're alright, you answer _fine_ even if your head is hanging by the wall clock?!"

"Lee! I'm serious here! What's worst about this case is _Kiba's with them!_"

Lee's eyes dilated. "Hang on there. I'll get someone to fetch you and treat that wound." Quickly putting away the laptop, Lee turned to Rose and stated almost abruptly, "Rose, I need help here."

Sensing the urgency, Rose snapped her gloves off. "At your service."

Standing up with a scorn feature on, Lee told Rose in an almost panicky sense, "I want you to take the fastest chopper we have and fly to the mansion by the bay. A friend of mine's shot and I want you to treat her immediately. She's in a recovery state from a previous wound, too."

Without hesitation, Rose nodded, took off her mask and remarked, "I'm taking the Double O 1159 chopper. Instruct your friend to stay where she is and press a cloth over her wound so the bleeding won't be so bad once I arrive. Give me five minutes tops." And after grabbing her belt of medical equipment, Rose rushed out of the autopsy examination lab.

As Tenten hung up, she gazed down at her wound. It was the last thing she was worried about.

There was something inside her that made her want to call Lee back and tell him to watch over Neji instead, wherever he is.

So much for a beautiful day.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The policeman has been on the phone for quite some time now as Neji sat obediently on the seat next to the phone, handcuffed.

"_Damn it," _he thought, pissed with himself, _"I can't believe I let myself get caught like this. And it isn't even high security. Just one puny guard. Honestly, this is very humiliating for any criminal. This is disrespect!"_

In their part of the world, criminals should be kept under maximum security, whether it be only for a minute or for twenty years. If that kind of security wasn't displayed, it meant the police were underestimating their caught criminal… which was shitty indeed.

"Yes, sir," The policeman nodded as he kept his ear on the telephone, eyeing Neji intently, "We got your card, Mr. Uchiha. And the criminal behind it is here with me. Yes, sir. Right away, sir. I will, sir. Okay, goodbye." As the man hung up, Neji growled. He had an idea that it'd be Uchiha.

"Someone's gon' tah have tah talk t'ya," the policeman mentioned, walking towards the door nearby to let the guest in, "I'ma leave you two 'ere. He wants ta talk t'ya bout his ATM card, a'ight?" Neji neither nodded nor flinched. Without a word, the policeman added, "You gots no guns this time 'round, boy. So behave."

As the policeman left, the raven-haired millionaire Sasuke Uchiha stepped inside, unarmed, bringing a suitcase and not a bodyguard in sight. Great, not only did the police underestimate him. Even some unlikely civilian like Uchiha did, too. Unless, of course, he was confident that Neji wouldn't hurt him.

"Good day, Mr. Hyuga." Sasuke greeted, smirking smugly. As he took a seat opposite the handcuffed mob boss, he took out a cigarette and offered it to Neji, only to have it rejected sourly. Nicotine never really got to Neji. Alcohol did, sometimes, though.

"I am here" Sasuke began as he pocketed the pack of cigarettes, "to offer a bargain. I believe that you stole my ATM card when you attended the grand opening function in my brother's hotel. I must admit, Mr. Hyuga, that I was very, very impressed. But I am sure that you could've succeeded in remaining hidden if it weren't for the locks of hair you left."

Neji gnashed his teeth. He never really wanted to recollect that night, especially since _Uchiha _was the bastard who tried to get himself on Tenten… _his _Tenten.

"Now, I will tell you this:" Sasuke said, leaning closer so Neji can hear better, "I will personally hand over 1 million dollars to your mafia's little petty fund _and _wipe your criminal record clean." Neji's eyes grew. It was unbelievable to know that Uchiha was offering to clean his record. No one can offer that without changing his or her mind less than 24 hours later.

"Plus," he added sleekly, "I will offer my services and support to you and your men. According to my sources, you are under a genocidal spell. Seeing your state right now, I am absolutely sure that you are in need of a rich man's facilities per se the not-so usual armory."

Sasuke's proposal was too good. There had to be a loophole or something.

The twinkle in Sasuke's eyes glimmered brighter. "All you have to do," Sasuke continued, "is to help me with a little something."

"_I knew it." _Neji thought, rolling his eyes. Still, he awaited Sasuke's reply.

And so, once again, Sasuke grinned and told him, "I want you to help me win back the woman of my life. Sounds easy enough, Mr. Hyuga?"

Then and there, Neji muttered, "What the hell? Is that it? You want to win some girl over again? And that one little act is already equivalent to all those rewards you offered me?" It intrigued him and surprised him: Uchiha had a heart.

Nodding, Sasuke explained further, "This woman I'm trying to win over again was a… very, very good friend. A few years ago, we were engaged to marry. But certain awful things happened to her… to us. And she cannot forgive me for all those mistakes. Will you help me win her back?"

"I'm not some marriage counselor to know what to do, Uchiha."

"Ah, but you have a girl, do you not? And I heard that she was your captive. Really, Mr. Hyuga, someone who is capable of making a woman who is supposed to be under his watch become literally under him is to be looked up to in the masculine world."

Neji grumbled inaudibly a few swears before telling Sasuke, "Because I _need _that 1 million and the armory, I'm taking your challenge. But do I have a guarantee that I will get the money once I've already succeeded in helping you get your bitch?"

Sasuke smiled. This is where he'll surprise Hyuga. He took his suitcase, laid it before Neji and unlocked it, revealing rows and rows of crispy, new 500-dollar bills. Voluntarily, Sasuke took out his ultraviolet laser and scanned the top row for Neji, revealing the truth: The money was real, not the slightest suspicion of counterfeit.

"I am not on a 50/50 basis that this woman I'm aiming for will eventually come back. There is a possibility that we will never be together again, so I am willingly handing the money _and _the clean slate condition this very moment, to save the both us and our time." Sasuke confessed, tempting the mafia boss.

As Neji continued to stare, Sasuke added to the conversation, "So, Mr. Hyuga, do we have a deal?"

The two contradicting colors of their eyes, black and lavender, lit up with a cunning amazement. Finally, Neji raised on of his chain-bound hands to the suitcase and after he shut it, he pulled it towards himself. "We have a deal."

Satisfied, Sasuke beamed and took out his cellphone to contact his IT to clear Neji's criminal record as promised. But then, Neji questioned him out of 'business' reasons, "Say, who is this girl, anyway?"

Immediately, Sasuke slid a wallet-size picture from his pocket and said, "She's Sakura Haruno, alias Rose Pierce. She used to work as a reporter, but now I think she's a half-time nurse in the local government hospital."

No doubt about it, Neji has hit the jackpot. Rose Pierce is one of his colleagues.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

She cringed as Rose poked at her wound, searching for the embedded bullet.

"You got quite a hit, Tenten," Rose commented as she pushed through tissue and muscle with her scalpel and retractor, "I'm just glad you're fine. It looks like you have a high pain threshold to be actually resist tearing up right now. Usually, this procedure makes people scream, even with anesthetic."

All Tenten did was whimper at the stings flowing down her thigh. Not only was the glass cuts she got yesterday acting up, but the cold metal tools on her torn muscles were making her want to shriek and make Rose stop. Finally, Rose got hold of her graspers.

"This'll hurt a little," Rose warned, sinking the tweezers deeper into Tenten's flesh, "I'll just get the bullet out then I'll sew you up. Don't worry so much." But once the bullet was tweaked with inside of her, Tenten proceeded to grunt louder again.

Hoping Tenten will stay firm, Rose could feel beads of sweat streaming down her face with every passing second. It was one of those rare days when she'd have to do something without any anesthesia to aid the patient. She has everything to worry about.

"Almost there," Rose consoled her with a white lie. In truth, the bullet seems like it has no plans of budging. Initially, Rose assumed that this would not take more than five minutes. To her dismay, they've been dealing with the bullet wound for almost twelve and a half minutes.

Retaining her full concentration, Rose went back to finishing her medical procedures, but she didn't think of how much this will hurt Tenten this time around. No, this time, she was dealing with it in the state where she knew that Tenten would much rather deal with this rather then die.

As expected, Rose had managed to carefully pull the bullet from the cut, relieving Tenten from most of the pain for now. "Wow," Rose commented as she examined the bullet up close, amid all the blood, and added, "Copper-tipped. This must've hurt a lot. I'm going to have to give you some tetanus shots to be on the safe side."

While Rose swabbed a portion of her arm, preparing it for the injection needle, Tenten reached for her cellphone and started dialing a number. As she did, Rose cocked a brow and questioned, sticking the needle's end through the bottle of solution, "Calling someone, Tenten?"

Placing the phone near her ear, Tenten nodded and told Rose, "Yeah, my boyfriend."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Finally back to walking down the sidewalk, with a briefcase and a clean slate criminal record this time, Neji felt relieved. Getting what he wants has never gotten this easy. Even if nothing was easy for the mafia, he had to be an exception.

Without much thought, he turned his cellphone on and found a missed call from Tenten. But once he was about to call her back, his phone began to ring again due to a call from Tenten. _"And she calls _me _a mind reader." _He thought, rolling his eyes as he picked up.

"Hello?"

"My gawd, Neji, you're fine! Thank goodness!"

"W-What do you mean I'm fine?"

Tenten's throat felt dry as she mouthed her words carefully with the syringe touching her skin, "A car drove in front of the house and started shooting the house. I got hit, but I'm alright now. A friend of Lee's helping me out. The press has really good staff to be so ready 24/7."

Neji nibbled on his lip. Tenten had no idea that Lee was a part-time government agent. She also didn't know who Rose Pierce was, but that was out of his thoughts. "Any idea who it was?" Neji asked.

The question struck Tenten a little like how the syringe pushed into her skin. "I don't know who the others were," Tenten honestly answered, "But one thing I know is: Kiba's one of them."

Hearing this, Neji almost missed a step. "Inuzuka?!" Neji exclaimed, catching many people's attentions, "How'd you know?"

"He entered the house to check for anyone injured or something. I dunno, he just came in! And he didn't look like he was looking for any of us to help us." Tenten admitted as Rose cleaned her injection, "He even had a gun with him. I trusted that guy."

"I know," Neji muttered, promising himself that he'd beat up Inuzuka, "Do you have any details on the assailants? Anything can help." He _needed _to know who had the shits to actually try to harm his Tenten.

Trying her best to recall, Tenten finally said, "A black car. That's all I remember. I think it was a Corvette or a low-rider. I don't really have good IQ on cars. They had machine guns and they were in black, too. The description sounds too general that it might not even help."

But Neji already had a clue on who he was dealing with. "No," he murmured at the phone, "I have an idea of who we're dealing with." As the silence grew between the two lines, Neji questioned Tenten, "By the way, who's taking care of you there? Lee?"

Tenten turned to the agent beside her and told Neji, "Her name tag reads Rose Pierce." Funny how she had one on.

Rose merely smiled at Tenten, pocketed her tools, proceeded to plant a band-aid on Tenten's arm before she said, "Tell Neji I said hi."

With that, Neji's lips turned to an angle. "I need to talk to her, Tenten. Please give her the phone."

Obediently, Tenten did. "Hey, Eagle," Rose greeted Neji informally as she cleaned her syringe, "Tenten's doing good here. Don't worry about her, alright?"

"Rose, listen to me," Neji said immediately, "It's almost nightfall. Please do me a really big favor and watch over Tenten. Take good care of her… Better care than the time in Uchiha's hotel, okay?" Rose just huffed and acknowledged this.

Once Rose had given the phone back to Tenten, Neji spoke in the softest and sweetest tone he could muster, "Sweetheart, I don't want to put you into more danger and I think your leg will wither from the many wounds you got there. To protect the both of us, I'm suggesting something: What do you think of moving?"

"Moving?" Tenten repeated the word, "To where?"

"Uh… I dunno… Does the Hyuga Manor sound good?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I am ultimately sorry for taking 2 weeks plus to update! I'm just really busy! Especially since my periodical exams are coming! And I'm failing Math again! I have remedial classes and I don't come home as early anymore.**

**Kankuro: -slams Math book onto the table- Lots more where that came from!**

**Suspense Questions:**

**Will Sasuke keep his part of the deal with Neji? Will Tenten be fine? Will Rose eventually be won over by Sasuke? Is it cute that Neji's calling Tenten _Sweetheart_(I think so)? Is Neji serious about moving to the Hyuga Manor with Tenten? Is Hanabi better now (By gawd, I think she is)? Will Kiba really and completely go to the dark side? …Is Tenten _really_not pregnant –sheepish smile-? Will Hinata prevail? **

**And how will Neji defeat Hinata in the end in this chase of genocide (Irony, I love irony)?**

**Find out soon.**

**Please, please leave a review! I don't want to lose readers, too. Thank you, anyway! You guys are the best!**


	14. Day Eleven: Chaos

**Oh my flipping gawd!**

**Kankuro: What now?**

**Me: There's a new movie called **_**Eagle Eye**_**! People will think I got Neji's codename from that! Oh my gawd!**

**Kankuro: Chill. You thought of the name Eagle Eye before the movie premiere, right?**

**Me: R-Right… At least I think so. No, yeah, I'm right.**

**Kankuro: So, it doesn't matter, okay? People won't think you got it from the movie… I think…**

**Me: You have to assure me, damn it! –grabs Kankuro's collar- Before you know it, they'll have a book entitled **_**Blue Gun Shot **_**and a shampoo named **_**Black Ivory**_**! And a toilet paper label named **_**Kosa Hyuga,**_** even! They'll say I copied everything!**

**Kankuro: I know what will make you feel better. A movie!**

**Me: Anything but **_**Eagle Eye**_**.**

**Disclaimer: Dang, I don't own Naruto… or the movie **_**Eagle Eye**_**.**

**Note: MUST PAIR BLUE GUN SHOT WITH SOMEBODY! HELP ME!**

**Chapter Summary:**

As Neji and Tenten exchanged glances, they feared that this was coming. The worst has come: Hinata's in the house.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Ever since she was a child, Tenten always found it difficult to sleep in another house, in another room, in another bed that wasn't her own. The mattress seemed to rock to its hate for her. The crannies seem to lurk with ghosts, driving her out. And the pets hiss at her._

_Strangely, she felt so much at home in the Hyuga Manor._

_Almost concealed under all the angel wing duvet on top of her, Tenten didn't know if she were to squirm out of the blankets to breathe or to sink deeper in and fall asleep. Lee instructed her not to drift into even the lightest of slumbers. He warned her of their current status as prey._

_He had the nerve to tell her not to even think of closing her eyes then advices her to tuck herself under the duvet for comfort._

_Rose Pierce and Lee filled her in on everything: The Org, the situation, everything. It was a shock for her to discover that Lee is an agent. Yet, it was finally clear to her why Rose seemed to be so familiar to her. They first met in Sasuke's hotel room, where Rose tranquilized Tenten after a brief moment._

_Right now, she wasn't the only one suffering the trauma of a sudden revelation. Standing in front of the window, gazing emotionlessly at the city that lay before him, Neji remained hushed. Through the glass, Neji could faintly see the blurred reflection of himself, monotonously contemplating on how fast things are going._

_To break the silence consisted of the imperceptible murmur of the air-conditioning and occasional chime of the dripping faucet, Tenten tried to comfort him with a few soft-spoken words, "You're not alone, you know," Her words held back, hoping she wouldn't say anything wrong, "When my father died, I cried for weeks."_

_The statement wasn't enough to make Neji turn to her and agree. It was almost terrifying whenever Neji was this way. He was passive enough on a daily basis. When it doubles—or triples—, you become cautious of what could happen next. Will he explode? Or will he fade away?_

_With the lack of a response, Tenten made an effort to depart from the comfort of her place, walking barefoot on the carpet towards the somber lad. As she tried to stop shivering, she ran her hands around him, wrapping him in her warmth. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." She whispered, feeling guilty._

"_Why _didn't_ you tell me?" Neji growled, still gluing his eyes on the darkness outside, "I also find it odd how you found out before I did." His voice was sterner than ever, almost driving her away in a way. Still, as if for her life, Tenten held him closer to her. She didn't know the answer to his question. _

_Realizing this, Neji swallowed an upcoming sigh. He shouldn't be reprimanding her like this, he knew. Slowly pushing Tenten's hold away, he muttered faintly, "I'm going to my room, okay? I'm sure Lee briefed you on our situation, so be a good girl and stay safe." The first phrase brought many things back to him. He has never said that line since he was sixteen._

Recalling the moment she witnessed through the air vents (She was looking for her missing favorite sapphire bullet), Blue Gun Shot couldn't help but wonder if becoming part of a mafia ruined their lives all over again. Sinking deeper into the pillow she rested her head on, she sighed patently. On days like these, things felt like the Middle Ages.

After sipping a little of her Screwdriver, Hanabi went on, talking to the teenage boy nearby, "So, my cousin and his girlfriend's here in the manor. We're supposed to be protecting the girl, that's all, coz she still has money she owes us. I'm supposed to be on duty if I wasn't injured."

"Stop trying to be the hero all the time, Hanabi. It's not good for the health, especially right now." The young man frankly spoke, turning to her from his task regarding Martha, the bird, "Have you ever trying to be just in the background? Ever?"

Finding the idea putrid, Blue Gun Shot stuck her tongue out and commented, "In the background, eh? Please. It's synonymous to being useless. Being in the background? Not my type of job. I'd like the job that gives you all the glory you deserve." She paused to drink her beverage before adding, "Why, do you like it in the background so much?"

The boy nodded his head as he let the parrot rest its sharp talons on his unprotected arm. He chuckled, saying, "Hanabi, I'm always in the background. I am, after all, an undercover system analog officer, right?" At this, he fed Martha a biscuit from his pocket.

Pleasantly, the parrot squawked, "Undercover system analog officer! Undercover system analog officer!" It sent joy through the young man whenever Martha spoke. His feathered friend has learned to imitate voices and even speaks independently quickly.

All Blue Gun Shot did was snort. "Undercover system analog officer indeed." It somehow annoyed her how the parrot got most of the attention.

Realizing his master's sudden envy, the boy proceeded to put Martha back in her cage. Once he had made sure that Martha's food dish and water dish were refilled and the floor of the cage had yesterday's paper on it, the lad saluted Blue Gun Shot and said before leaving with a few cleaning materials, "I'll see you later for Martha's afternoon refreshment, Hanabi."

Smugly, Hanabi questioned, "Ah, is that so? The bird matters more than I?"

Simply, the boy laughed, saying, "Well, I _am _hired to take care of her, no?" But as he closed the door behind him, Hanabi silently wished that Martha would drop dead. These were the kind of moments when she hates the bird all the more.

"_Bitch." _Blue Gun Shot thought in anger, resisting not taking out her Beretta and aiming at the 'chicken in parrot's clothing', _"You shit on paper. You gnaw on moldy, bland wheat. And you smell funky. How could he be putting more attention on you?" _

Hanabi knew it was downright stupid to become jealous of a bird.

**-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-**

Kiba has never felt pain like this before.

"You know where they are, you said," Hinata growled at him, almost seductively yet angrily wrapping her fingers around his neck, "So, tell me: Why weren't they there in the last eight places we've gone to?" Her fingers curled curtly around his shivering neck.

Her nails dug at his skin, torturing him to the point where he actually enjoyed it, "I couldn't have mistaken. If we have tried a more _subtle _attempt," Kiba emphasized the word, rubbing in how Hinata's commands were at bay, "Then, they wouldn't have realized that we were coming."

"Well, what do you propose we do, then?" She shrieked, almost causing Kiba to cringe at the pitch. Her eyes grew into a blood-shot glare, turning her silver eyes into a dangerous, insipid gray. "If you can't answer me, I wouldn't have any use for you and I'd _dispose _of you without a second thought!"

Suddenly, a smug grin was sprawled over Kiba's jaw. "Ah, I have something."

"You'd better." Hinata half-threatened, letting go of him. Falling back onto her chair in the wooden storage room within their new hideout (An abandoned factory in the outskirts of Avenue 12), Black Ivory felt her patience running dry. Kiba was becoming more of a pest rather than a helping hand. Her dog was biting her.

Leaning forward, Kiba suggested almost too confidently, "Where does your cousin stay once he has called it a day? Any idea?"

"Ever since he had orders to watch over Masaki's kid, he hasn't returned to the manor. That's because he stays in the same place the girl does. You yourself know that." Black Ivory snapped at him, wondering if this was going to help at all.

Hearing her, Kiba shook his head violently in irritation. "No, I know that, you know!" he exclaimed, reaching for the glass of brandy nearby, "What I mean is, if he wasn't looking after Tenten, where he would go back to? What is the place he calls home?"

"Why, the Hyuga Manor, of course. Isn't it clear? Mafia members must stay in their own base. It's an unwritten rule."

"Exactly." Kiba responded, pointing his pinky at her as he held the glass of brandy to his lips, "After the assault _you demanded _at Tenten's house," Again, he made sure Hinata's errors in plans were prominent, "They must've retreated to what they suspect is a better place. Of course, I assume they won't be there for long. But, of course, it is Eagle Eye's choice of venue. He would bring her to a safe site: his home."

There, Hinata froze. Dog boy was slicker than she expected. She chuckled in satisfaction, standing up to get ready to give orders. "You're good, Inuzuka," she said, taking her share of the brandy, "And I have a feeling I know just the place…

… Hyuga Manor."

And, she had a plan. A plan so flawless not even Inuzuka could mess it up. And it would work to her advantage.

**-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-**

Seated comfortably on the straw, bean-like chair cushioned on the seat and the backrest suspended by two tight ropes, Neji sunk back at the maroon, velvet material he half-sat, half-lay on. There was enough room for one person to snugly sit there with their legs curled in. It was ideal for simply gazing at the clouds out in the Hyuga Manor's football field of a lawn.

But, indeed, Neji shared his place with Tenten, who was seated on his lap, napping with her head on Neji's shoulder. As Neji swathed the sleeping girl with his arms, he couldn't help but play with her stray strands, curling them around his finger. Lovingly, he would stroke her cheek every so often, hoping she wouldn't wake, though.

"Isn't that a sweet sight?" a voice softly commented not far from where they were. The sound of crunching grass was behind them and as it got louder, Neji knew that it was neither his grandmother nor his cousin. It was an agent.

"Hey, Rose." Neji greeted, not bothering to turn around to look at her, "How's Blue G? Checked up on her lately?"

The sound of someone sitting beside them came as Rose admitted, "It's strange how your cousin can regain her strength so quickly. She's like a super freak, if you ask me." After chuckling quietly, Rose added a question, "How about Tenten? She feeling better?"

Against the afternoon sun, Neji's skin seemed to glow palely as he smiled at the snoozing Tenten. "She's pretty tired, I assume. She keeps on falling asleep every now and then. I've been wearing her out, I guess. And her leg's still not healed. Moving around town like loose fugitives isn't a nice experience. Sometimes, I wish I could just tell her to let me pay my mafia the money so I could stop her suffering already."

Rose shrugged. "Why can't you?"

"The mafia doesn't allow it, clearly," Neji told Rose, yawning like a cat, "If I pay, of course that'd be the mafia's money. It's like paying yourself: It's useless. That's why I had a separate account in the bank. That way, I could send some money to the mafia, pretending the money's from Tenten. They'll never know, anyway. I'll have to do it little by little if I don't want anyone to notice."

Understanding completely, Rose nodded. Somehow, looking at Neji and Tenten made her jealous. There never was a time when she had the opportunity to actually sit on Sasuke's lap and enjoy the noon pass by with him. Sure, nights were spent together, but it was a little different that way. The ferocity of the night can't compare with the sugar of the afternoon.

"I told you." Rose mumbled, smiling as she pulled a dandelion in front of her.

Neji arched a dark brow at her, halting for a moment. "You told me what?" Neji asked, quizzed by the statement.

Again, the grin on Rose's face spread. "I told you that you loved her." Rose mentioned before blowing the furry seeds away after making a wish, "Didn't I tell you I was right about it?" As she watched the wind take her wish away, all Rose did was fall back, resting her head on her palms.

At the moment's halt, Neji recalled his deal with Uchiha. Chewing on his lip, Neji remembered it all too well. The money, the armory… the desperation… For a smug bastard, Sasuke surprised him with his words, even until now…

_I want you to help me win back the woman of my life._

Neji simply decided to be frank, just so things would become less complicated, "Yesterday, I got sent to a police precinct. It was damn embarrassing, I know. Imagine." He gagged before continuing, "Sasuke Uchiha went there to talk to me." The mention of Agent Crowe's name sent a glimmer of hidden fear in Rose's eyes, but a certain fear that comforted in vain.

"He made an offer." Neji said, continuing his statements, "He said he'd give me a million bucks and a full armory if I did him a favor. Strangely, the favor he asked of me was as plain as getting his ex back. He wanted _you _back" Neji paused before adding, "I didn't expect Uchiha to be that desperate."

The fact made Rose shiver. The acid formed in her eyes, stinging her. "Is that true?" she questioned, almost gasping in the process. It sounded like shit. To her, as long as it meant Uchiha becoming humble enough to ask for help, it was shit.

"Gawd, no, it's not true. It's just some crap I heard in the public bathroom six miles from here." Neji sarcastically replied, rolling his eyes. "Rose, of course it's true." Neji added, shifting Tenten's head to fix her position, "I don't really have a reason why I should make up something like that." He stopped before adding again, "Damn, _no one _can make that shit up."

Still, Rose was doubtful. Anyone could lie. "W-Where's the 1 million?" Rose questioned, half-convinced.

"In my account. Check for yourself, if you have to."

"And… and the armory?"

"Delivered yesterday night before you, Lee and Tenten arrived in the manor." Neji even took out a new Beretta from his side pocket, showing it to Rose as a piece of proof. "And the bullets are gold-tipped. The mafia wouldn't be _that _wasteful, you know, but since it's free, why not?"

Rose sat up, enraged with her emerald eyes boiling madly, "You agreed to help Sasuke with this because of all these rewards, didn't you?!"

"Even if I didn't agree to help him, I'd still get these." Neji stated, "Uchiha said it himself: There is no 50/50 chance that he'll win you back. So, he said, to save the both of us time, he handed over the rewards, with guarantee or none."

She found it hard to believe. How could Sasuke trust Neji that much? Enough to actually surrender that much _for her_?!

"So, you're telling me to surrender myself to Sasuke now?" Rose murmured, almost growling with fury at Neji. He could be a little too selfish sometimes, if she knew better. And why did Uchiha approach Neji? He had enough sources to actually confirm that she was working hand-in-hand with him? It shocked her.

But, Neji shook his head and peered at his watch to check the time. He promised Tenten to wake her up at half-past noon. "I told you the truth so I could save myself the complexity of everything." Neji honestly told her, "And besides, I'm not telling you to do anything. I'm just telling you that the rich bastard just loves you so much, alright?"

How Rose hated how right Neji was.

As Neji shook Tenten awake, careful not to jolt her, Rose chewed on her lip in contemplation. What was the right thing to do? She'll admit it only to herself: She never lost her love for Sasuke. But she also hasn't eliminated every strand of hate for him. The past error of his ways was unforgivable, in a way. It hurt her, still.

"Hey, Sweetheart," Neji greeted Tenten jokingly as she stretched in her place, "Sorry, but you have to wake up now. We're leaving in an hour." He proceeded to help her up, sitting her up on his lap as she still rested her head on his shoulder. Rubbing her eyes after a nap, Tenten looked like a child beyond the cargo pants and tee.

After Tenten's last stretch, Neji proceeded to cuddle her again, probably to make the minutes go longer. He loved holding her too much. "Oi," Rose began, giggling, "You two better be careful. Yesterday, when you got the test results, you were practically screaming thanks to the heavens when it wasn't a positive." As Tenten blushed at the sudden remark, Rose added, "Having a girlfriend changes you, huh, Neji? You're not such an ass hole anymore."

As Neji rolled his eyes at Rose's comment, Tenten just laughed, saying, "Yeah, I guess you're right, Rose." After Neji bribed her to keep quiet with a kiss on the side of her lips, Neji and Tenten got off the swing-slash-chair and walked towards the entrance into the house from the lawn with Rose tailing behind them.

Ascending the stairs, Neji briefed them on the new set of information. "Black Ivory and her members are not permitted into the manor anymore since they betrayed the original branch of Caged Birds. I put all my trust in the people in the manor that they will maintain the security's sternness. In all my years of living here, not once has the security failed."

Passing through the winding halls, Neji went on, "Not even my father, Kosa Hyuga, knew the security basis or data, so it is guaranteed that not even Black Ivory would know." Leading the way, Neji added, "In an hour's time, I have to deposit a few dollars into the mafia's main account to continue filling Tenten's debt. I'm taking Tenten and Blue G with me."

He bit his lip and scrunched his brows seriously before concluding, "I can't take any chances. I'm going to make sure Black Ivory doesn't win this game."

Upon reaching the hall where Blue Gun Shot's room is located, Rose spoke up, "Lee is with your grandmother, working out on tracking down where Black Ivory is. The device is playing around with them, but it'll work sooner or later." In response, Neji nodded and hastened his pace.

To their dismay, when they reached Blue Gun Shot's door, something was wrong.

Numerous holes penetrated the door, leaving oak scattered on the floor. Unlocked, the door airily swung with the wind silently. Panicky, Neji pushed the door open with his elbow and immediately scanned the room. Pillow feathers flew about. The duvet lay on the floor. Shattered glass was scattered on the floor. The scent of blood was abundant. And Hanabi was out of sight.

Martha, the parrot, stood erect, terrified to her wits. Her bronze cage, now distorted and bent, lay on the floor. And, repeatedly, the parrot screamed various dialogue fragments in shrill voices. The shivering parrot didn't stop. It continued to repeat the very same dialogue fragments:

After repeatedly making the noise of breaking wood, the bird screamed, "Bitch! I'm getting you this time!" Martha recounted as the three flabbergasted people listened well. The bird imitated the soft yet sharp noise of a gun with a silencer blow a few bullets. Then, Martha copied the sound of breaking glass.

The parrot went on, imitating screams of pain and fear. But then, there was a statement by the parrot that gave away who the intruder was. A statement—probably from Hinata—was exclaimed, "Hah! I tried to kill you before! I can do it again!" And there, another sound of a silenced gun came.

Finally, the bird fell silent before starting to make the sound of breaking wood again. That was that. It was official. They had an idea of what was going on.

As Neji and Tenten exchanged glances, they feared that this was coming. The worst has come: Hinata's in the house.

**-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-OoO-**

"Lee, can't you drive a little bit faster? We're in kind of a hurry."

"Then I'd be speeding!"

Tenten gripped his shoulder from the back seat, grinding her teeth in anguish, "Well, I'd rather get a ticket for speeding rather then missing the earliest plane to Evergreen! Move it, Young Man!" Deliberately, Lee stepped on the gas. But his brows began to get soaked with sweat. His clean road record was at stake.

"Oh, holy crap, I'm a speeding taxi!" Lee screamed, causing Tenten to slap her face in exasperation. Nerve-wrecked, Lee sat behind the wheel paranoid of any arriving police cars who'd catch him going past the speed limit by two digits.

With his forehead creased, Neji growled at Tenten, "Will you give it a rest, Bushy brows? You're not speeding!" He took out a cigarette and chewed on the end before taking his lighter out, "You're such a bullshit head, you know that."

"For starters, _Honey,_" Tenten's growl came around angrily, "Lee is not a bullshit head to be actually doing all this for us! He may be driving like my grandmother, but he's helping us because _someone _was too _lazy of an ass _to drive decently!"

Neji spat the still unlit cigarette out of the window before snapping back at Tenten, "Oh, is that so, _Sugar Plum_? Well, if you find me such a _lazy ass, _what do you call yourself? All you've done is bring trouble to me from the first day we ever met! I don't even know why I still keep up with you!"

"You and your fucking mafia keep up with me because you need _my _money!"

"Why, is that all I've ever wanted from you? And who said it was _your _money?! _I'm _paying all the cash for you!"

Lee got worried. This spat could get serious. "Guys, chill!"

"I didn't ask you to, did I?!" Tenten defended, shoving him away in their seat.

"Well, admit it: If I didn't, you'd be crying your eyes out for 28 days, waiting for me to just whack you in the end!"

"If you find me so pathetic, then why are you even bothering to bring me all the way to Evergreen just to keep me safe?!" Her voice raised higher.

"It's because I love you and sometimes, I wonder _why _I even did!" was the vague response from Neji.

It shut Tenten up until the point when Neji realized that the acid in his words tore her heart apart. With that, she chewed on her lip. "Lee, stop the cab." She muttered, tucking her arms together in front of her chest. When Lee didn't stop the cab, she repeated, screaming at Lee's ear, "Stop the car, damn you!"

With a screech, Lee brought the cab by the sidewalk. He heaved a sigh and opened his mouth to say something when Tenten said, "You, Eagle Eye, better leave the car and I mean now!"

"What?!" Neji whined, pissed off, "Why am _I _leaving?! You've got some nerve to be doing this to me!" He felt his gun burn in his pocket as Tenten slid her hand into her boot to grab for her .45 gun.

She eyed him intensely. "I want you to go out and leave me alone!" she demanded, prepared for almost anything. Neji had gotten the best out of her. It wasn't a good idea to mess with Tenten in such a situation, "I want you to get out, grab your stuff from the trunk, get a cab and go to the airport on your own. Lee's driving me."

"Ah, so that's your game, huh?" Neji grunted, rolling his eyes as he leaned towards Tenten with his own gun at hand. Lee helplessly watched from the rearview mirror. Pressing himself against Tenten in the stuffy back of the cab, he forced Tenten down on her back as he threatened her with a bullet.

"Listen, Love," he whispered as their eyes locked, their breaths lingering near each other's lips, "I'm the man here. _You _are _mine_. _I _am to be followed. That's how the world has always been. So don't think I'd play along with that demand of yours, are we clear?"

But before he could even finish, Tenten responded with a new evil smirk, "No. Get out."

Hearing this, Neji knew when a man should give way for his queen. After a moment's vacillation, he pushed himself off of her, opened the cab door and got off. After he grabbed his two suitcases from the back, he poked his head into the open window and mumbled something that sounded like "You win this time, bitch."

It amused Tenten, in a way, how she was in control for now.

Once Neji was on the concrete of the sidewalk, waving his hand around in desperate search for a taxi, Lee asked Tenten, "Should we go ahead of him now?" But Tenten shook her head and simply watched Neji flag down a taxi. It made her smile how Neji was having a difficult time in catching a cab. Maybe his 'skills' weren't effective today.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Well, he's certainly pathetic."

"Pathetic as the target he is."

The cocking of guns repeated around in the circle of black-clad men. One spoke, "Lady Black Ivory wants the girl alive."

"True," Kiba smiled, arming himself, "So, I'll take care of Hyuga."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"This is pathetic." Tenten mused out loud as she watched Neji still look for a respectable taxi to ride on, "Remind me again why we're taking public transportations. I mean, Neji should have a private limousine and a private jet, I assume."

Lee sat on the driver's seat, reading a magazine on aerobics, "Eagle Eye wanted to practice discretion. You know, so his cousin won't find you guys so easily. He is, after all, doing all this for your safety, right?"

Tenten nodded. "But he doesn't have to be such a jerk in this situation. We've been fighting since last night." She confessed, staring at Neji curse a passing taxi that ignored him, "We made up this afternoon, but when he found out that Hinata has found us, he started getting all screwed up again." She yawned before grumbling, "Hn, men."

But, then, Lee's eyes shot wide. Something was coming, and he had known a second too late.

"Got a gun there, Bright-Eyes?" an unfamiliar statement crept up at Lee. A stranger in black held a gun at hand with the gun through the open car window. Obviously, he was ready to shoot Lee anytime. Almost shivering, Lee turned, eventually meeting with the dull, gray eyes of the thug. Tenten knew trouble was coming up.

Intuitively, Tenten reached for the horn and slammed her hand onto it, causing an ear-bursting honk to emit from the car. As planned, she caught Neji's attention. She poked her head out of the car and screamed, "Neji, get out of there! She's around!" Neji knew what was going on.

Deliberately, Neji left his place and rushed towards the cab, where Lee struggled with two bulky hands around his neck. With that, Lee pulled his legs up and sent his two soles into the man's face. Tenten was still in the back, waiting for Neji to help as she loaded her guns.

Three of Black Ivory's men caught Neji by the waist, sending all four of them onto the ground, wrestling. Through the grunts, Neji tried to see what was going on in Tenten's side of the battle.

Lee got out of the car and took out his gun, ready to fight. "Tenten," he began to give instructions, "Go get Neji. Get as far as you can. If Black Ivory even gets close, you'll be finished. Leave me here. I'll hold them off, alright?" After Tenten nodded, thanking Lee in her thoughts, she hopped into the front seat and raced towards Neji and the three thugs.

Seeing the scramble Neji was in, Tenten aimed her gun's nose at the concrete near Neji and started shooting, making the thugs scatter away for a minute by instinct. With the opportunity, Neji got on his feet and entered the car, sitting beside Tenten. "Game plan?" he asked, holding his breath in suspense.

At this, Tenten shifted the gear, prayed that they were on a full tank and whispered almost uneasily, "Yes. Run away." Immediately, she stomped her foot onto the gas pedal and sped away.

As for the thugs, one of them pulled out his radio and reported, "Madame Black Ivory, targets are moving towards the Blue Gate Highway at a high speed. Shall we get on the chase?" Once the man had given the message, a reply came quickly:

"Go after them. Lead them to Estate Bridge."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Rose walked around the manor restlessly, inspecting every aspect and every part of the manor. She couldn't take chances, either. If Black Ivory or any of her men were inside, they'd have to eliminate the pests.

"Building B, Floor 3, Aisle 10, Sector 1 clear. No signs of intrusions or intruders. Over." She mumbled into her radio device with Harumi on the other side, taking note of each property status report.

Moving on to the next area, Rose ran her hand through the walls, checking for any disturbances and any foreign vibrations around. Like the past aisles and floors, everything looked normal. Even though looks are deceiving, Rose thought that the Hyugas were somehow becoming too fearful in a way.

All of a sudden, her Org radio buzzed. Diligently, Rose snapped the slim radio from her belt and clipped it to her ear. After she pulled the microphone out of the bottom of the radio, she spoke in a rush, "Rose Pierce, Status: On Mission Line, No. 469915. State your identity and purpose."

Her heart identified the voice on the other line. "It's me." He said, "Trust me when I say this: There's trouble downtown."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Underneath them, Neji and Tenten could feel their tires heating up literally. Speeding through a bustling city at near dusk wasn't their idea of spending time together. Through the salty sweat that stung her eyes and the fumes that engulfed them, Tenten could barely see and breathe.

"Where are we?!" she shrieked, her hands sticking to the leather of the wheel, "I can't tell anymore!" Her voice was shrill yet tight, wrapped in panic.

Grabbing the wheel with his left, Neji exclaimed, "You're going to Blue Gate Highway! Are you crazy?! If we get in there, we'd be counter-flowing!" He looked behind them to find the same black car still tailing them through the trucks and jeeps, "It's too dangerous!"

"Seeing the life I'm leading right now with you, nothing's dangerous anymore!" It was her panicky and desperate answer, "Shoot them, Neji! This is not our first car chase! Shoot!" Even though it was true that they've been chased before, this car chase was more intense.

Obediently, Neji led his shaking hand into his pocket and steadied his shooting gun. If he were to mess this up again, he could never forgive himself. His life was at stake. _Her _life was at stake! He couldn't afford to risk hers!

Nearly deranged, Tenten pulled her hold on the wheel with every second. Left and right with every moment since the flow of the traffic was going South while they were going North. If she wasn't careful, she could crash into another car.

The stress and pressure seeped through Tenten as she sat with her back crooked behind the windshield. The beeping of the cars and the screeching of their tires collided in her head, making her temples throb with a pain that called to her. Adrenaline was building up.

After the clicking of an empty gun came, Neji threw his used gun out of the window and cocked his Beretta. "You okay?" he questioned Tenten, speaking aloud through the cackle of the swift wind and the intensity of it all. Clearly, her eyes seemed to water.

"Do I look fine to you?!" she screamed, nearly hitting a mini van half a second ago. Suddenly, she failed to fully dodge the last vehicle and got their headlights crushed. With the shrieks of the ripping tires, their car swept towards the side, causing them to hit the side of the highway.

Quickly after the shake from the slight hitting against the wall, Tenten stepped harder onto the gas pedal and sharply pulled the wheel towards the left. Catching her breath, she asked Neji, her throat closing in on what the answer could be, "How many are they?!"

Running out of bullets, Neji tore open the bag Lee left behind and found a machine gun and started shooting at the car behind. "One, to our fortune!" he exclaimed, uncontrollably shooting at the tailing car. Like Tenten, the sweat in his palms trickled down his cold arms.

But before Tenten could even get the chance to be grateful for the fact, a black van came across their path, blocking their way. Both stared back at the halting vehicle with their eyes wide in exhaustion and near grief. "Oh, shit, two." Neji mumbled as Tenten trembled.

The van's door slid open, revealing more men in black, armed and deadly. The three behind them had also gotten out of their cars, approaching them. With her feet liquefying, Tenten whimpered softly at Neji, "Oh my gawd, what are we going to do? We're dead."

Still, Neji fought on. He muttered to Tenten before the men could get any closer, "Who said _we're _dead?" Surprising all those around, Neji reached for the gas and sent the car proceeding forward, smashing against the van in a high speed. Through broken glass and the noise of chanting bullets and a sizzling engine, they tried to escape.

"Shoot them!" Tenten heard the command escape Kiba's lips. As she continued to drive faster, towards the first path out of the highway that was Gale Avenue, the sound of ricocheting bullets and the revving of the cars behind them drowned her.

When Tenten was about to zoom into the path towards Gale Avenue, Neji contradicted with her actions and stepped on the brake. As the car went into a complete stop, almost sending Neji crashing into the glass, the dust floated. "What was that for?!" Tenten screamed, eyeing Neji intently. But before he answered, a bullet cracked through the windshield, barely missing Tenten.

Once her state of mind was back, Tenten turned to the lad in front of their smoking car. "This is not good." He groaned, losing his ability to lean back and think straight. And when he noticed Tenten squirm in her seat and reposition her fingers on the wheel, he read her mind. "Tenten!" he growled, grabbing her by the wrist, "We are _not _going through Estate Bridge! It's under construction!"

"It's nearly done!" she argued with him, shifting gears, "FYI, the cement is firm. It can hold us, even if it's just for a quick pass. Let's take our chances. I'd rather die from drowning than die with a bullet in my head, you know." She swallowed hard. "At least we die together." It was as if she found sympathy in it.

And when she gathered the nerve to near her foot to the gas pedal yet again, Neji held onto his seat and exclaimed, "I just gotta tell you that this is one of those rare times when I'm scared to my wits." With that, Tenten bit her lip and sped towards Estate Bridge, roughly missing the thug previously in front of them.

The whirr of speed rushed through them. The sight of the block that read 'Bridge Under Construction' grew larger, expanding swiftly before their eyes. "And I have to tell you that," Neji yelled, turning to Tenten, "you're one of the craziest women I've ever met to actually think of doing this!"

"I know!" she screamed back, suddenly wanting to have the strength to shift her foot onto the brake, though it was too late. And as they rushed through the fragile bridge, the unfinished concrete groaning under them, she added, "And you've got to be the biggest jerk I've ever met!"

Time seemed to pass too slowly as their car sunk at their right. Immediately, Neji knew that the soft concrete was falling apart due to their weight. He knew this was going to happen. Luckily, the metal skeleton of the bridge caught their bumper, giving them a few seconds to save themselves. With chunks of rock flying about and the sight of water directly below them, Tenten looked back at Neji before murmuring, "Must be why I love you."

Her smile warmed Neji even at the state of the moment. "Look, I love you, too, but can't the drama come later, once we get out of this scrap?" With this, Neji pushed on the door and found it stuck. Grunting, he desperately tried to get the door to budge. Unfortunately, the solid material that sat by their door kept him from doing just that.

Slowly, inch-by-inch, the bumper was peeling away from the car's back. Soon, Neji knew, they'd be dying in a watery grave if they don't do something now. If the doors are jammed and they stay inside the car underwater, they'd never survive. It'd take a miracle.

The vibrations of more bullets shot at the back of their car sent Tenten shrieking yet again. As for Neji, all he could do was duck with Tenten, for his guns had all been emptied, too. Hopeful, Tenten shifted the gears and tried to reverse the car and get it back onto the bridge, but with the sharp movements of the wheels, the material just crumbled even more and further endangered their lives.

"Come on, come on!" Tenten yelled, repeatedly stepping on the gas, wishing the taxi would really get back on the bridge. But then, a snap of metal was heard. Without a doubt, the bumper has given up and gone off. They were going to fall.

As gravity took its course, dragging the cab into the murky waters below, both Neji and Tenten screamed, not the least ready for the coming splash. With everything happening to fast, the taxi fell into the water, bringing Neji and Tenten with it.

Underwater, between the bubbles and blurring of sight, Neji tried to summon all his strength to push the door open. His vain attempts went on and on. But then, to his alarm, Tenten sat beside him, unconscious at the very least. Her mouth remained ajar, allowing water to enter her system. The rhythm of the bubbles around them was the song of death.

Frantic, Neji grabbed Tenten and hoped CPR worked underwater. Every push on Tenten's chest had all his might. The few gasps of air he had left, he breathed into her. But when he saw that it was no use, he let go of her and felt his throat close. One last try in saving the two of them came and when Neji gave the strong push on the door, he could sense his lungs wither.

His breath had all gone. The numbness in his arms became a sting that weakened him to a deadly extent. He was running out of life…

… If only Tenten wasn't, too.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"They're in the river."

"Good, Kiba. I knew you could do it. Fetch the girl. Her alone."

"Yes, ma'am."

Before the other line went off, Hinata added, "Don't touch Eagle. If he lives through this, it'd amaze me. But even if it _does _happen, Kami forbid, we're prepared for him. You know my plans."

"I do."

_Click._

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Lee? Lee!"

Rose ran through the pouring rain in her heels, leaving behind the black umbrella she was offered. The drops ran through the strands on her face, irritating her and the eyes that watered. Seeing the tattered body of her co-agent surrounded by medics and civilians seemed too much.

She pushed through the crowd of aghast passersby, policemen and rushing medics and knelt next to Lee as she showed her badge. "Agent Rose Pierce from the Government Agency. This is my partner. Does anyone know what happened to him?"

The flood of voices rang in her ears as the streaked mascara on her cheeks continued to drip. Not a single soul knew what had happened. No witnesses who bothered to stay or anyone who decided to tell the story. Everything's complexity overwhelmed her. The whole world seemed to be a blur in all its fear, distress and pain. _"Lee, what happened to you? Oh, gawd, I hope you're alright. Please, partner."_

A medic brushed Rose away from Lee's body as they placed him on a stretcher. Once the ambulance's back doors were opened, they carefully placed Lee inside. "Please tell me what happened to him!" she pleaded as they closed the doors, "What happened?!"

Ignored, Rose didn't give up. Before the medic could climb into the front seat of the ambulance, Rose held onto his sleeve and questioned, running her hand through her face with the effort to stop the tears, "What's the analysis on his wounds? You have to tell me!"

Seeing the grieving woman before him, the man turned to his co-worker, heaved a sigh and told Rose the truth, "Bullet shots, ma'am. Six."

"Six?!" Rose screeched, her fingers balling into a fist with her hand nearly ripping off the man's sleeve, "Where?!"

The man sucked his lips sourly before replying in a somber tone, "One in the head, that's one thing you have to know, ma'am."

"_One in the head?!" _Rose's mind was nearly lost, _"He could be in a coma for months! But in that state of his, it could even be worst." _Rose's lip quivered, "I have to be with him," she begged as the man prepared to alight the ambulance, "I'm a medic, too, I can help! I have to!" But the man said no more. The ambulance left the scene.

Standing in the middle of the street, with blood patches and bullet cases scattered everywhere, Rose felt lost. What was she supposed to do?

Comfort wrapped around her, embracing her petite shoulders and arms. The firm hands stroked her bare skin, giving her permission to cry. "Don't cry so much, Rose," Sasuke Uchiha advised her as she bent her head low, hiccupping, "You did what you could."

"I could've been there for my partner, that's what I should've done!" she snapped at him, circling her fingers around his jacket's sleeve. She twisted her head to the side, letting it rest on his chest as he supported her. "What kind of a partner am I to leave him like this?!"

Sasuke held her closer, allowing her to make a scene for once. "Stop blaming yourself, Rose," he reassured her, "Lee is happy to know that _you're _fine. Partners are supposed to look out for each other. He told you to stay in the manor on purpose. I know so."

The frail, cherry locks sank with the drops as Rose cried to her hearts sorrow and guilt on Sasuke's chest. "If… If you didn't call me and tell me what was happening," she mumbled, sniffing, "I-I wouldn't have known."

With this, Sasuke ran his fingers through her hair, hushing her like how he used to. Pulling her nearer to him in commiseration, Sasuke whispered, "Rose, instead of crying, we have to do something about this." Hearing this, Rose pulled her head up, looking up at Sasuke with puffy, red eyes.

"Eagle Eye and Tenten, I don't know where they are. But we have to find them, alright?" Sasuke told her, taking his handkerchief out to wipe her face dry, "Lee will be fine. I know he will be, okay?" He dabbed the handkerchief on the side of her eyes before adding, "And I'll be here to help you all the way. What else can I do for you?"

And as the grin sincerely crept into Sasuke's face, Rose beamed back in gratitude. "Thank you…" she whispered, "…Sasuke."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Tenten gasped as air filled her.

Weak, trembling and helpless, Tenten raised her eyes from its tight shut and found herself lying in a room that seemed all too familiar to her.

"_The guest room." _She knew where she was, _"This is the guest room of Hyuga Manor. A-Am I dead? Or did Neji manage to save me yet again? Shit, what the hell…" _Straining, she tried to lift her head, even just a little, but found herself body too deadened. It was even a feat to lift a finger.

"Don't bother moving," someone spoke from the foot of her bed, "You're anesthetized. I was given orders to. You know, just in case you try to get away again." The smirk of Kiba Inuzuka emerged from the corner of her eyes. "I doubt it, though."

Tenten's brows met. "Kiba…" she murmured in disgust, "You little traitor. You've been working for Black Ivory all along?"

"Meh, just since yesterday, actually," Kiba told her as he comfortably sat himself on one of the chairs nearby. Resting his feet on top of Tenten's stomach, he added, "Lady Hinata likes me very much. When we first met, she was smashing my fingers and all. But, now," He snapped his fingers. "We're cool."

"I don't care how you met!" Tenten croaked, her throat still coarse from excessive water intake, "I saw you! You shot my house! And you tried to kill us back at the bridge. You chased us around town. I thought you were my friend, damn you!"

"Hey, I am, Tenten," Kiba defended, arching his brow confidently, "You just don't know my part of the story." He leaned back on his chair before he said, "I'm just saving you from Eagle Eye Hyuga."

"That's what you've been telling me! How should I know that you'd take it seriously enough to 'join forces' with Black Ivory!"

"This is for your own good, Tenten," Kiba said, "And what benefit do you get with hanging out with some mob boss, anyway?"

She didn't reply. Kiba didn't have to know about the intimacy that was going on. Assuming she didn't have an answer, Kiba continued, "And you don't know Eagle Eye. Oh, man, you don't." He stood up and took out a rolled-up newspaper from his pocket. It was a newspaper that dated back to the 90's. And the date was the day after her father was killed.

"See the headline, Tenny?" Kiba pointed at the big, bold letters that was spread on the front page, "**Local Man Killed On Avenue 91. Mob Boss Son Eagle Eye Hyuga No. 1 Suspect. **Name looks familiar to you, Ten?"

"Whatever, Kiba, whatever!" Tenten yelled, thinking this is just some scam to get her to turn away from Neji. He has succeeded once, but not this time. Not again. "How am I supposed to know that you're not making this up, huh?!"

With that, Kiba snorted and read the article, "Holly City—Businessman Edo 'Old Man' Masaki was shot thrice, August 5, by an identified suspect on Avenue 91 on 11:16 p.m. The suspect is the son of mafia leader Kosa Hyuga, Eagle Eye Neji Hyuga. Witnesses say that Eagle Eye was ordered to 'get rid of' Old Man Masaki for not paying his debt and—"

"No!" Tenten screamed, her eyes throwing darts at Kiba, "He didn't kill my dad! When he first came to me, he didn't even know my father was dead! I know that! I remember!" Her body squirmed in anger, trying to break from the anesthesia that bound her.

Yet, Kiba went on, "And for pulling a marketing scam on Kosa Hyuga. It is rumored that Kosa Hyuga and Edo Masaki were best friends and had access to their parties' facilities, services and properties. Edo Masaki owned a high-security factory that allowed the Caged Bird Mafia members to enter, so there is no doubt that it was Eagle Eye Hyuga who had committed the murder."

"Shut up!" Yet, slowly, there was a part of Tenten, a part that seemed to be resonating, that believed the printed words.

"Police have tried to detect and track down Eagle Eye Hyuga and Kosa Hyuga to bring to court for murder. Unfortunately, this man hunt was cancelled. Masaki's divorced wife, Aija Akemi, was not willing to support the man hunt and decided that the case be considered closed and that the burial just be undergone with—"

"You're crazy, you know that?!" Tenten snapped, halting Kiba from reading from the paper, "Nothing, and I mean nothing, can get me from Neji's side! That little trick of yours about my father and his murder, it could've worked, I admit, if it wasn't so flawed!"

Kiba's lips curved into a devilish smile. "What is so flawed about it?"

Tenten's eyes bore through Kiba, "For starters," she growled, "My father was shot by a gangster, that's why the told me."

He shrugged. "Mob boss, mafia, gangster, syndicate… It's one big family."

The fire in Tenten's eyes seemed to soften in surrender. But she went on, "Why didn't I see that newspaper copy on that day, then? Tell me!"

Again, Kiba smirked. "Weren't you in your mother's home in Lance Homes ten and a half hours away from here? Such news like that doesn't appear on the headlines of such a far-off place." Incredibly, Kiba's play with words made sense.

Tenten was going to give it one last try. She was too easily convinced. She wanted real proof. And it was what she asked for. "If you're so great, then give me proof, Kiba! I want proof! Proof that I can hold on this very moment!" He'd never get this, she thought. But she was wrong.

Kiba inched towards her and finally questioned her, "What does your father _always _wear?"

Tenten stuttered, "A… A ring. A gold one with his name engraved on it."

"He forever had it on, right?" Kiba said, smugly staring her in the eye, "When he died, he definitely had it on. But…" he paused, causing Tenten to gulp in fear of what could be next. "Did he have it on when you buried him?"

Honestly, Tenten did not know. All she did was crudely shrug her shoulders. Something told her that Kiba was about to prove himself right.

And with that, Kiba proceeded to take out a ring that Tenten knew all too well. "Isn't this your father's ring?"

Tenten gaped back at it, her eyes wide and her mouth ajar. It was truly her father's ring. "We found it," Kiba continued, "when we raided Kosa Hyuga's vault. It was there, seated neatly in the middle of all the money, gold and jewelry. This, my friend, is your father's ring. Kosa Hyuga ordered Eagle Eye to take it most probably." Kiba added, "How else could this have gotten here?"

Tenten shook her head uneasily. She shouldn't believe him. "Lady Hinata couldn't have taken it from your father's finger. Then the whole world could've know by now since coffins aren't one of the things that can be broken open with discretion." He slid it down his finger. "It wasn't in your house, you knew. Your family didn't even realize that the ring was gone from his finger, right?"

She began to shake. It couldn't be. She promised herself not to let personal things to pull her trust on Neji away. It was a covenant to herself. But here she was, near to tears as Kiba told her what seemed to be true lies. "Kosa Hyuga took the ring. They killed your father, Tenten."

And with that, Tenten no longer spoke. It seemed like her voice was gone. Her heartbeat echoed within her. Not a single thought brushed through.

Zero hour was commencing. Hinata's plan, Kiba knew, was working.


	15. Day Twelve: The Battle of Chess

**I give my deepest apologies to my readers, my friends, for taking forever in posting this chapter. Laziness, busy schedules and writer's block all attacked me within these past few months. Finally, I am able to put up chapter fifteen. I hope I won't lose any readers, and please leave your feedback. You can tell me of how long I took in your review. It's okay since it's my fault, anyway.**

**Alright. Thank you for your consideration and understanding. Please enjoy the chapter.**

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**I am going to **_**die **_**on this keyboard, for goodness' sake!**

**Kankuro: I can see the headline now: **_**Local teen commits suicide; grinded face into keyboard.**_

**Me: -steps on his foot- I don't mean that! I mean this! –holds up key piece with 'G' on it-**

**Kankuro: -pause- How'd that get off the keyboard?!**

**Me: I was playing with my cat and my cat scratched it off. My Mom will kill me when she finds out. And I have to proofread my chapters and fics **_**thrice **_**at this rate. The 'G' needs to be pressed twice or at least twice as hard before a 'G' actually comes into the screen. **

**Kankuro: Pathetic.**

**Me: Yeah, like it's not your fault, too. You, after all, are Cat Man. –laughs- By the way, why're you eating Kitten food?**

**Kankuro: -stammers- It's none of your business. –turns around- Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in the litterbox.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. And, gawd, how do you fix a chipped off key piece of a keyboard?! Help!**

**Note: Got some Italian words and phrases here, in accordance to the plot. Please, please, please correct me if I ever made a mistake. Sometimes, I doubt Yahoo! Babel Fish when it comes to translations. I'm not Italian, so help me. Thank you. **

**Chapter Summary: **It was like chess. If you want to make it out alive, if you want to win the round, go around the enemy… not through…

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"_Parola d'accesso_?"

"Ne?"

He nudged her. "I think he's asking for the password. I'll handle this." Running his fingers through his gelled locks, the boy gulped, trying to recall the password that should get them through the border guard. _I know this one. I should. It's at the back of my mind, I guess._

His female companion scooted nearer to him and discreetly murmured, "Hurry up with the password. He's going to kill us if we don't give the password, from the looks of it." She nudged him, jabbing her knobby elbow softly into his ribs. _And the weight on my back is killing me. I think these 85 kilograms will send me collapsing before anything else. _Subtly, she adjusted the strap of the bag she carried. Her shoulder blades seemed to break by the minute.

"Edelweiss." The boy answered, confident yet wary all at once. _This has got to be it. If it isn't, it's goodbye, damn. _Warm sweat ran through his side as the guard eyed them both intently. The suspense had to end somewhere.

Finally, the armored guard spoke, blowing a gush of garlic into their faces, "_Corretto. Potete entrare_." With that, he took his sidearm aside and made way. He snatched his radio from his belt and buzzed the next guard, "_Impiegato prostituta entrano._"

The lass sulked, clenching her fist in disgust as she pulled her bag into the campgrounds. _I don't think I want to know what _prostituta _means._

Indeed, she looked like one, though. The thickest foundation, lipstick and eye shadow her tiny face could muster struck her skin. The chill went to her bare legs, making her shiver occasionally. The thin tank top and the three-inch heels bothered her the most. This was definitely unlike her daily apparel.

"Remind me again why I have to dress up as a _whore _again." She hissed at her accomplice's ear, emphasizing as how he was the one who told her she should— of all things—disguise herself as one in order to get in without suspicions. _I hate this. _She bitterly thought, _This can't end up in my name eventually. It shouldn't. Hopefully, it won't._

All her accomplice did was pat her back and mischievously reply, "You are not dressed up as a whore. And I told you: This is necessary to get in without getting tailed by any reinforcements of the grounds. Only employees— that's me— and their harlots are allowed inside the premises liberally. Besides," With a squeak out of her, he pulled on her bra playfully, "I think you look great."

"You're just a perv, asshole. But I should've expected that from you since _all _of your mentors were perverts, too." She snapped back, straining herself to manage the wide load on her back, "_You _try dressing up in a skirt and a transparent tank top. Let's see how you like it."

"I ain't a girl. What would I be? A gay harlot?"

"It's a shame for you." She muttered as sight of the next gate came, "I'd rather be in your pinstripe slacks than this shit."

Yet again, the lad winked at her teasingly, his hormones swarming in his gut like bees, "Well, how about you _get into my pinstripes _after this, luv?"

At this, she could only gag. Mental images of what she questioned as heaven or hell struck her almost blind. _I may be in love with you, dorkwad, _she wished to say, _But I am not willing to do that just yet. Gawd, boys. Throw a doll in their face and they lick it clean. _"_Sick. _Plain sick." It was all she could say to hide the circumspectness of her blush.

The pair halted in front of the subsequent guard. Running his orange peeps through the couple, he questioned in an elegant Italian accent, "_Appuntamento?" _

In reply, the lad shook his head in restrained panic as he thought of the procedure, then explained to the guard uneasily, "_Un residente." _He pointed to himself proudly, stating his residence in the camp as an employee. The guard, knowingly, acknowledged him with a nod, but eventually pointed at the girl in alarm.

"_Prostituta, destra?" _The able-bodied guard somehow guessed, judging by the woman's attire.

She, on the other hand, felt her blood boil. "Harlot." She seemed to find the right to correct him. _It's a fancier term, anyway. Gives me a little more dignity, then. _

At her remark, there was no more response. A large man would care less, for as long as the lady wasn't his. _"Potete entrare." _He mumbled in what was a hushed bellow as he moved aside to make way for the passing couple. They could only be relieved that they didn't grow apprehensive over the oversized (and rather overweight) bag the 'harlot' brought with her.

The end of the bag dragged against the cracked tiles of the floor, making a noise synonymous to troll skin against a shark's. And a loop of the melody 'Edelweiss' haunted the crannies of the compound. Now, it was clear that the owner had a liking for the flower, seeing the password and background music.

"How many more _miles _till we get there?" The girl complained, near to giving up on her luggage, "I'm going to break my back with this. Why don't _you _bring it? You're the man among the two of us, isn't that right?"

The boy shrugged and whispered to her an answer, "Well, harlots are supposed to bring around the load when it comes to tailing their 'masters', so since it's your cover, you'll have to carry that. Don't worry, it's only for now."

"Only for now my ass, perv." She growled at him as they traveled through the dusty and murky corridors of Camp 645. Every tile on the ceilings, walls and floors reminded them of public bathrooms: mossy, odorous and rust-licked. Flickering lights gave the impression of a tight budget and campaign posters from 1989 made everyone wonder how old this building is.

At the end of the ground floor corridor is an office, like a principal's, and the two arriving to its deck feel like the most condemned troublemakers in the campus, but in control. "That's the office we've been looking for." The girl mentioned, pointing her chin at the door straight ahead, "Do I have to repeat the plan for you, scatterbrain?"

"No need, luv," the boy shook his head and gripped her hand as he did, "I've got it down in my head. Let's just make this quick. I need to take a leak badly." She could only roll her eyes, noting how pathetic this is.

Upon reaching the door, Blue Gun Shot proceeded to knock. The fading letters on the door's glass seemed to shift in coordination with the moving shadow behind it. As the figure darkened, getting closer to the door, both of them readied themselves. Their cold guns almost burned the skin of their thighs, hidden securely until soon.

A click, thud and another click came before the door swung open with a creak. "Yes?" was the response of the blond, pony tailed man clad in a laboratory gown. Blood lathered his gloved hands as he stared back almost dumbly at the visitors.

And there, the girl snatched her gun out and aimed at him, saying, "Blue Gun Shot here. We need to talk, Mr. Yamanaka."

With that, the stunned Mr. Yamanaka paused for a moment. Then, he threw himself back into his office and slammed the door shut in fright. Hanabi could hear his panicked yelps in his office at this. Blue Gun Shot's apprentice, Konohamaru, then took out his gun and mumbled, "Do you mind?"

But, even before he could position his gun in his hands, Hanabi took aim at the glass of the door, senselessly dropping her bag, and growled back, "Yes, I will." Without a second's hesitation, she fired three shots at the glass, shattering not only the door, but also whatever was standing idiotically behind it. Luckily for Inoichi, he was nowhere near the door.

"Guards at six o'clock." Konohamaru warned Hanabi as she kicked the door open. He kept his eyes on the four charging guards, hoping he had enough bullets to last till theirs did. But he didn't make a move. He waited for Blue G's signal.

She only nodded and ordered to him, "Too expected. Cover me, luv. Shoot like a man, for both of our sakes."

With a swift turn, Konohamaru fully faced the arriving men and started to randomly shoot at them. But every shot was followed by a squeak out of Konohamaru, from slight shock and squeamishness. "I said, shoot like a man!" Hanabi screamed, proceeding into the office of Mr. Yamanaka. With her gun cocked, she stepped into the higgledy-piggledy room and almost retched at the sights.

Torn, crumpled and even soiled pieces of paper—documents or scratch paper, Hanabi never knew—ruled the desk while blotches of coffee, bald spots and goodness-knows-what infested the carpet. Blue Gun Shot dodged a swaying pile of unfinished reports, pushed back a rusting file cabinet and passed through a wall of musty family pictures.

Up ahead, she heard the clanging of metal. A small operation room, as she expected, glowed dimly as Inoichi tried to escape through the fire exit at the other side of the room. _Oh no, you don't… _Hanabi thought as she started to hasten her pace towards the escaping man. And before Inoichi could grab for the handle of the fire exit, Blue Gun Shot had grabbed the pathologist by the collar with a gun to his head.

"Oh, please, don't hurt me!" the man whimpered, "I have a wife and a daughter! I have mouths to feed, lives to look after, including mine! Haven't I done enough for your filthy mafia, already? The contract I signed said I was free of any bond with the mafia six days ago!"

She tightened her grasp on his collar, pressing his throat harshly to a choke, "I don't give a damn! We mafias had gotten enough of your loopholes, so get a taste of your own. Now, listen, you. I need your help again. I have nowhere else to turn to in this situation. I'll pay you, if I have to. Just. Help. Me." Still, the threats of the gun worked better than the offer.

Inoichi swallowed hard. "What is it this time?"

Hanabi smirked and lightened her hold on her gun. "I want you to revive my cousin from unconsciousness. And I want it done fast."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_Reinforced glass. Great. Just great._

Spending half of her time in the guest room with her wrists tied and her ankles free yet numbed to death weren't exactly comfortable for anyone, especially Tenten. With a computer chair clumsily in her hands, she has been trying to smash the window open, only to find it stronger than bone or metal. At the realization brought after a number of attempts she couldn't keep track of, Tenten dropped the chair and collapsed, breathing the carpet dust in.

True, Kiba had left the room to her. He trusted the hostage, stupidly. Unless, it wasn't trust in Tenten that caused his coolness, but the trust he has in the security of the room. The reinforced glass is one thing. The steel-under-wood bulletproof door, foolproof lock and sensitive alarms brought his confidence out of the cabby. He's been all cocky since yesterday.

Hair in shambles, clothes too wrinkled to be appropriate, and limbs purple, Tenten could only wonder if Neji was in the same state… or in a worst one. Her gun, to her shock, sat on the coffee table by the couch. But to her horror, her bullets weren't there. And nothing, not even ball bearings from the bed limbs, could be found to substitute the bullets.

Kiba also connected a Wii into the television and a foot massager by a recliner he had brought in. Bath salts and aromatherapy scents awaited her in the bathroom. Every component of relaxation tempted her. He wanted Tenten to be at ease enough to become vulnerable. But to Tenten, it just pissed her off furthermore.

All that Tenten has in mind now is to bust out and look for Neji. She was more concerned of him rather than herself. She needed assurance that he was alive. Obviously, though, there is a big chance that Hinata had placed cameras in the room to make sure she stays in her 'cage' like a good bitch.

_I have to be analytical… _Tenten thought to herself, desperately gnawing on the ropes that kept her wrists painfully stuck together, _If taking direct approaches won't help, I'll have to be a little more resourceful and make a move with what I have around here… subtly… _It was like chess. If you want to make it out alive, if you want to win the round, go around the enemy… not through…

Pushing herself from the floor with her knees, Tenten rushed to the queen-sized bed nearby, climbed onto it, and hoped the cameras weren't getting what she was doing, if ever there were any. Trying to appear relaxed and tired simultaneously, Tenten lay on her back on the duvet and mattress. Her eyes lingered through the ceiling, looking for the smoke detector in a hurry. And when her caramel eyes caught sight of the cream device by the dresser and mirror, she grinned devilishly.

With that, she crept out of bed and examined the smoke detector carefully from her gopher's view. Beneath the covering nailed onto the ceiling, she could see the bulges of the wires from the smoke detector, moving towards the aspects that would become activated when a fire was set.

Like a child following a star, Tenten trailed through the room, keeping her eyes locked onto the wire bulges. From her following, she saw that there were two more smoke detectors in the bathroom and by the pantry. And she saw, too, that a few of the room's facilities were automatically opened in case of fire as the sprinklers come on. And there, Tenten was sure of her plan.

Picking up the phone in the Hyuga guest room and dialing the mansion's main line, Tenten hoped Kiba would pick up…

"What is it?" the voice at the other end growled almost mutely, as if he were eating.

Tenten wasn't definite of who it was, but she said what she had to straightaway, "I want to talk to Kiba."

"Yeah. What is it, Ten? Need a glass of water or something?"

She cleared her throat. "No. Not really." And there, Tenten breathed into the receiver with a pout in her lips…

"I want you, Kiba. Mind accompanying a lonely girl?"

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The beeps lasted forever. It seemed to be.

"We shouldn't stay long here, Rose." He advised her, hoping that she'd actually listen this time. But it was something Sasuke knew that might not even happen. "He's not the only one hurt. We haven't much time, you know." He was getting impatient, honestly. Waiting in the other room, wasting coins with vending machine coffee and chocolates was a misuse of precious time.

Still, Rose Pierce Sakura stood by Lee's hospital bed, glaring back at the green static lines, rising and falling with every chirp. Sakura was just glad that it stayed that way. Hopefully, the lines would never drop completely and bleed red in the next second. And with every beep is a breath out of the unconscious agent, a squeeze out of Rose's hand that held his pale one.

Biting his lip, Sasuke grasped her shoulder and exclaimed, "Sakura, are you listening to me? We have to start moving. We can't stay here with Lee the whole day. Not now. It wouldn't help any of us at all. After all, I'm getting sick of hospital beverages and the stench of sterilized materials. So, if I were you, I'd—"

She cut him off. "The doctor said," she mumbled as she threw her eyes at her unresponsive friend, "that he may never even wake up." The glimmer in her pupils faded with her recuperating tears, "He could just… remain in such a comma for months or so. His condition isn't… easy to cure, he said." She tightened her grip on Lee's hand, "But, after that, he could eventually die."

At her statement, Sasuke opened his mouth, but shut it afterwards since his words were unneeded for the moment. But, Rose tucked her hand on top of his, which was on her shoulder. She turned her head to Sasuke and said through her dry throat, "I'm angry, Sasuke. I want to get rid of the asses who hurt Agent Young Man. Once and for all."

Sasuke curved a lip, neither smiled nor frowned. _That's my girl. _He thought, knowing it wasn't best to say it out loud.

And they left. Probably, they wish, that when they come back, Lee would be able to welcome them finally.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.O**

Inoichi pulled the almost dead body out of the blue corpse carrier. It was odd that his security actually let a 'prostitute' come in with such a thing. He needs to hire better Italians. Tuscan ones.

"If you placed him in such a bag, then he must be dead." The pathologist murmured, a little to himself rather than to Blue Gun Shot. He and Konohamaru carried the drenched body onto his surgical table, careful not to be too rough with it. Inoichi, himself, presumed that the lucky bastard still had a heartbeat.

Hanabi watched with her snake eyes as Inoichi raised a torch above the man's face, forced his eyelids open, then flashed the torch light against the man's pupils. To Hanabi's fortune, his pupils dilated. He was alive.

"My gawd, he's a survivor." Inoichi exclaimed in aghast horror and surprise as he clicked his torch off. "Where did you find this man? By the looks of his skin, he must've been drowned in vain." Inoichi pressed two of his fingers onto the body's wrist. There was a pulse, indeed. Kami had saved that man. _He probably still has some unfinished business to do. _The doctor thought.

Blue Gun Shot took out her gun and aimed at Inoichi, threatening, "He's my cousin, Eagle Eye Hyuga. I suggest you just shut up and get him standing in the next thirty minutes unless you want to die before him. This is a very important matter." Hanabi narrowed her eyes at the frightened pathologist. "Get. To. Work."

"I am not a miracle worker, Miss Hyuga," Inoichi stated, shaking his head and wiping the sweat off his temples, "I cannot revive this man within half an hour. It's like playing god!" He turned to Konohamaru, who had just come in after finishing a massacre outside in the halls of Yamanaka's office. "Please tell her not to shoot."

Konohamaru blew on his gun's nose, pocketed it and questioned Blue Gun Shot, "He can't do it, luv?"

She shook her head as she neared Inoichi with her gun, "He can. He just won't. I've done what I could. I've offered payment and already threatened him. I'd use his family as a hostage, but we haven't got much time. If Neji isn't conscious soon, Black Ivory might get the bacon in this lifetime." Hanabi cocked her gun.

"Don't shoot, please!" Inoichi screeched, shaking in his knees, "I'll give you my life savings, my possessions, everything! I'll give you anything! Just please don't shoot! Anything but that!"

"Why give me everything you have when I just want my cousin back on track?! You can't even handle that simple shit! I have no use for you, then!" Blue Gun Shot screamed, pressing the burning metal of her caliber gun's mouth against the stuttering doctor, "I am going to give you five seconds to agree with my terms. I want you to get my cousin back in thirty minutes tops. Now, do I hear you saying yes?"

Inoichi still argued. "But I just said that it's impossible! Who is he to be brought back in the brink of death? Even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to do it in thirty minutes! You have to be reasonable!" His sweat drops beaded down the slope of his eyes, mixing with his scared tears.

"Five…"

"Mercy! Mercy!"

"Four…"

"Look, you don't need to shoot me! I said I could do it! And I will! I just can't make it in such a short time—"

"Three…"

"Oh, good gawd!"

"Two…"

"You can't do this! I'm the only one who can get your cousin back, remember? If you kill me, you'll—"

"One."

"Shit!"

With a pull on the trigger, a quick _bang _resonated through the room, ricocheting everywhere. Inoichi's scream was cloaked with the explosion from the mouth of the gun. And there, Inoichi waited for death to reap him. But, when he opened his eyes, there was no red shower, no blood. And Blue Gun Shot was still there, still drilling the gun's mouth down the skin of his forehead.

She growled. "Blank. No bullet." And with her words, Inoichi melted, flopping onto her heels.

Hanabi stepped away and said, "I have every drop of mercy out of my league, Mr. Yamanaka. And I have the initiative to do just that _with a bullet _next time if you don't start moving right now." She pulled her watch from her wrist and buckled it onto Yamanaka's. With that, she pulled him from the floor and whispered with venom, "Time is running out."

Immediately, the traumatized man scrambled to the surgical table, grabbing his equipment as Blue G cackled in satisfaction.

Konohamaru scratched his head with a thought, _I hope she never threatens me in that method. _He never thought he'd face a worst threat in another situation.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

At the sound of the locks clicking from outside the door, Tenten turned her head. She was confident that it'd be Kiba. This way, phase one would finally occur. And when he finally managed to open the door and step foot in the guest room in his all-black ensemble, Tenten strained an ambiguous smirk. "Kiba-kun…" she whispered with a sugary sprinkle.

He closed the door behind him, smiling back at her with his dancing eyes, fiery. "Lonely girl, huh?" he said, chuckling, "You had me laughing on the other end of the phone, Ten." He approached her, sitting beside her on the bed, "But I knew, sooner or later, that you'd give in." In her head, Tenten gagged.

Tenten tried to hypnotize him with her stare, making his inner wolf howl louder than before. "I can't help it," Tenten mumbled, scooting nearer to Kiba, "Who can resist," she continued, trapping him between her arms with her tied hands behind his nape, breathing into his face, "a mercenary like you… Kiba…?"

Predictably, Kiba closed his eyes in ecstasy as he tucked a hand under Tenten's thigh, sliding his fingers deeper. "Mercenary…" he murmured as Tenten took the opportunity to shiver in disgust as she resisted pushing Kiba away to keep phase one intact, "I like how you say it, Ten…" And with that, he proceeded to bury his nose into her shoulder blades, making Tenten squeak shrilly.

She could feel Kiba's mouth opening, tasting her for the first time. It made her shake in revolt, but Kiba feasted on the thought that she was shivering because she was enjoying herself. But, if she let this go on, away from her plans' choreography, she may lose something more than just a chance to escape.

Unable to push him away with her hands, she brought her weight on him, forcing him down on the bed as she lay on top of him, in the effort to get him to stop. Instead, he moved his face from her shoulder blades, eventually moving his target lower as he bit on her shirt, hoping to pull it off little by little. _Shit, shit, shit! _Tenten thought in panic as Kiba nibbled on her, _This isn't going as planned! I have to get him to the bathroom so I can get to the scented candles and fast! _

As Kiba proceeded to reach for her pants, Tenten half-yelled at Kiba, hoping her alarm didn't show that much, "Hold on there, lover boy!" With the opportunity, she pulled Kiba by the back of the head, making him sit up with her on his lap. Listening, Kiba stared back into Tenten's eyes as she tried to speak. Only on that moment did she feel the knot in her chest that gave her guilt of how she is making out with Kiba—not Neji—even though it's for escape plans…

"Shouldn't we… set the mood first, hm?" Tenten mumbled, her devised plans replaying at a fast speed at the back of her head. She was hoping Kiba would make her day and agree. Then, phase one point five could finally begin before this turmoil of having to play sexy with Kiba kills her.

But then, the doggone lad shrugged. "… No." Luckily, before he could go on with his manly hobby, Tenten shrieked.

"No! We must! We must!" she tried to convince him to play along, pulling him up with her, "Come, come! There's incense in the bathroom. It… smells good. It'll make the atmosphere more romantic." Kiba stared at her blankly. Tenten shot back an emptier glare at him. And there, she recalled an antic guys hate: "Don't tell me you're _scared _of me, Kiba."

It worked, as Tenten hoped. But she ended up getting dragged by Kiba into the bathroom.

As soon as his foot met the icy granite floor of the bathroom, Kiba brought Tenten to him, slamming her onto the nearest wall. A hic escaped her as her back hit the wall, his hands on her waist as her arms remain rested on his shoulders with her hands still tied behind his head. "At last," he hissed, eyeing her all the way as she vulnerably squirmed in his hold.

Swiftly, Kiba landed his lips once again onto Tenten's neckline, chasing her wavering skin. "Shit…" she groaned as he bit her in places, "Ugh. Kiba! Shit… Stop that!" At this, Kiba only moved quicker, harder, getting her shirt finally over her head, hanging on her silk arms. Giggles and screams came out of her as he mouthed her all over, leaving her swathed in kisses and spit.

With her exclamations, Kiba raised his eyes from biting on her bra strap and snickered, "Stop? Now? Weren't you the one who called because you were lonely?" He ran his velvet lips down her chest before he asked her, "What are you going to do? Bite me?" He followed his sentences with a sinister trail of laughter.

He continued to violate her, sinking his nails and teeth into places he shouldn't have. The waist of Tenten's denim pants slithered down her thigh, uncovering her almost entirely. And with that, Kiba decided to take things to the next level. He snapped her clasp as he left licks of lust round her chest, on tenterhooks for the climax he'd offer her. "I'll prove to you, now, that I can give you more happiness than Hyuga ever will." He said. Everything was going too fast for both of them. Tenten continued to squirm, straining to reach for something behind him…

Then and there, in the middle of his enjoyment, Kiba was interrupted by the scent of burning ropes and skin…

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Clear!"

Another _thump _came from the life-giving devices Inoichi planted onto Neji's chest. Blue Gun Shot watched nearby, chewing on a toothpick she found on the floor earlier as Konohamaru sat beside her, loading his gun with beads and shooting them at the wall in front of him. It irritated Inoichi at first, until he decided to ignore it.

Neji's body rose with the bellows of the machine, trying to beat like a heart. For the third time in the last hour, Neji had lost his pulse. Red lines have invaded the screen frequently, and to their fortune, Inoichi had been skilled enough to bring him back every time. Optimistically, Yamanaka would be able to bring his pulse back this time around.

"Clear!" came another exclaim. This time, Hanabi had started to worry more than usual. Grasping her sapphire bullets in comfort, she was praying that he'd wake up sooner or later. Not only for Tenten's sake, but also for hers. She'd do anything to have him back so he'd take the place as main mob boss. Blue G had other plans rather than to take over the Hyuga mafia.

Successfully, Inoichi managed to bring the bright green neon lines back with a sigh of relief. Hanabi remained seated on the floor, leaning against one of the metal cabinets, staring at the table from below without a change of expression. Konohamaru was still firing bead bullets when Hanabi tapped his shoulder in question.

"What is it, luv?" he mumbled to her, putting his gun down. He could see that in and out of her ego, Hanabi was troubled. She wasn't even sure that coming to Inoichi's office would help Neji. But, if the mafia trusted Inoichi with casualties and injuries, she'd have no choice but to have faith. "What do you want to say, Hanabi?"

She sucked her lips in contempt before saying, "What will I do if Mr. Yamanaka doesn't get Neji back in time… or at all?"

Konohamaru read her lips before she even spoke. He wrapped an arm around her and corrected, "_We_, luv. I'm still here." He let her rest her head on his shoulder before he added, "And… I don't know, too. Any idea?"

"That's why I was asking you, luv." She replied airily, giving her eyes a rest by softly closing them, "This is the first time that I've never had a game plan. You know that I never make my moves without a game plan. I don't know why I acted without thinking this over first." Her hand met his, two doves over each other.

Konohamaru looked back as Inoichi performed goodness-knows-what on Eagle Eye in order to let him regain his consciousness immediately. "Luv, we can't always be prepared. There will always be times when we will never know what to do till the time comes. Okay?"

Hanabi shook her head. "No. Not okay."

"Stubborn little chick, are you now, luv?"

She smiled at his antic, a second-long relief in a 60-hour ongoing hell. At that point, everything reached her. The song of the air-conditioning unit, the whirr of Inoichi's machines, the faint breathing of her cousin, and the heartbeat of Konohamaru against her ear… They ate her up. In a good way.

"Say, luv," he whispered to her, brushing a strand from her face, "After we deal with this, and after your cousin's finally the Hyuga mafia godfather," He pinched his voice softer. "What are your plans? You mentioned leaving the mafia."

Hanabi shrugged at the thought. "I don't think it'll happen. I should really stay in the mafia and help Neji out. But life is… too exciting in the criminal zone. Sometimes, I'm tempted to just let it go… to start over." She threaded her fingers between his. "We could go to another city… or to a country side. Get married, have kids… sell mousse for a living… die old… together… Don't you find that nice?"

Konohamaru snorted with her silent speech. "I always heard you say that a life of guns, goons and glory was your type. You've always been that way for the longest time. I didn't think you'd want to end up like Heidi in the Alps with goats and sheep one day… especially with me." He brushed his bristles against her forehead, "You surprise me, Hanabi."

She giggled. "I don't want to end up like Heidi, luv. I just want to have a family without worrying about their lives all the time. Like Eagle Eye Neji over there." She pointed at Neji, on the surgical table, still half-dead, "He can never have Tenten. He knows better. It's like enticing fate and death. She'll die in his arms before they even get married, especially since he's becoming main mafia head."

And there, she fell quiet again. Yet, for the last time, Konohamaru raised a statement, "Since when did you start calling me 'luv'? I'm the one who's supposed to be calling you that." He turned to her, grinning eagerly.

All Hanabi did was roll her eyes and grumble, "I haven't been calling you 'luv', Konohamaru. Get over yourself." She pushed herself away from him, annoyed at how conceited boys could be sometimes.

Inoichi stepped away from the surgical table and approached the two teenagers, pulling his gloves from his sweating hands. "Good news is," he began, "he's alive." Then, his face shed a different aura, "Bad news is," He paused, "he may not wake up in a couple of days. Or longer." But Inoichi had more to say, "Actually, chances are, he may never even wake up. He's been unconscious for quite some time. About 24 hours?"

"I can't wait long, I said!" she yelled, getting up from the grimy floor, "If he doesn't wake up, I'll kill you!"

_Sadist. _Inoichi thought before answering Hanabi firmly, "Well, I'm sorry, Miss Hyuga, but all we can do is wait. Like I said, I am not a miracle worker." With that, he headed for the sink to wash up.

Konohamaru quickly stood up beside Blue Gun Shot as she grumbled swears under her breath in fury. Looking at Neji right now, he seemed hopeless. Paler than his usual tone, he was almost just a corpse. He was like a wall now, only with a soul. Compared to the four walls of concrete in the lab, the only difference they had between Neji was that they didn't have a pulse.

Then, Hanabi's eyes twinkled. "You're not a miracle worker, all right," she said, walking towards Inoichi by the sink, "But you're a pathologist and a toxicologist, too." She stood behind him, smirking. "The best among the best, too." And there, Inoichi heard the click of a gun. His heart stopped.

"A genius like you," she murmured as she raised her gun at head level, "would be able to formulate something to quicken Neji's recuperation, right?"

Inoichi stammered, scared for his life again, "Y-Yes." An honest answer.

"Good." Hanabi squeaked, positioning her gun by his head once again, "Make one. Now."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Her black trench coat's tail followed her like the faithful night to the sun. The click-click of her boots echoed in the hospital room. Her henchmen stayed behind her, ready to do her orders.

"Take him." She simply said, "And make sure he stays alive."

Nevertheless, Lee never knew what would happen next.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Phase one accomplished.

"Tenten, you little—!" Kiba shouted out as he lay on his stomach on the bathroom floor, the back of his head black and burnt. Tied with bed sheets with an orange-scented candle in his mouth cavity to keep him quiet. Stripped of his black jacket, two-way radio, gun and ring of keys, Kiba writhed on the floor, staring up at the triumphant, shirtless girl above him.

"That wasn't exactly fun, _Kiba-kun_," she growled at the helpless Kiba, "Get a life."

Pulling her pants back on, Tenten sighed at what had happened. She'd promise never to tell Neji of how she had managed to escape. For both of their sakes. It would offer no help to their relationship, anyway. Kiba was just a horny dog who did things dog-style. Neji was something Tenten really wanted…

As she clipped her bra clasp back on, Tenten couldn't help but recall the night she and Neji knew each other. Definitely, it was more romantic (and less _violent_) than this. She tried to remember the warm, old feeling she got on that one evening. But no matter how hard she tried to recall how he kissed and touched her, the feeling wouldn't come back.

Perhaps it was because she was distressed or maybe the magic doesn't pop up through imagination. She likes things… real…

_Tenten had expected things to be a blur, like they all say. Everyone says that she won't remember a thing, for it all happens too fast. The first time she opens her eyes after the moment, it's like waking up from a dream. But Tenten found herself clearly replaying those moments in her head. They weren't a blur. At all._

"_You're awake now." Neji said, kissing her cheek as a morning greeting. He looked her in the eyes, his roaring like fire. She beamed back softly at him, keeping the morning's rose feeling aroused, "I've been waiting for you to finally wake up, lovely."_

After putting on Kiba's coat, Tenten picked up his ring of keys and walked out of the bathroom, closing it behind her. She was sure that one of these keys had to be able to open the door. Her only problem was finding which one would work on the bolts. Approximately, there were more than twenty keys in the ring, all without labels and sprayed gold.

Acting fast, Tenten grabbed the first key and stuffed it into the keyhole, eventually finding it too small to fit properly. She took the second one and eventually rejected it. The third didn't fit, either. And the fourth had too many teeth. At this rate, she doesn't have much patience. And, at this rate too, she'll never find the right key on time.

_I have to keep my cool, _she told herself in a hush, _If I bust my way out of here, I'll definitely gain the attention of Hinata's reinforcements. I wouldn't want that. But if I don't quicken things now, things might screw up. Big time. I have to take my chances._

So, pocketing the keys with her gun, Tenten stood up, opened the bathroom door and entered. Kiba was still screaming muffled swears, wriggling like a huge, white worm the size of an anaconda. "Amf getchu fer thith if ith th las thinm I tho!" Kiba screamed, trying to say something about last things and getting. Tenten hardly paid any attention to him as she picked the scented candles up.

Quickly, Tenten stepped onto the toilet seat, reaching for the smoke detector above her. As soon as the flames of the scented candles pricked the detector, a clash of various alarms came. As planned, Tenten saw the door automatically swing open. _You just gotta love Hyuga facilities. _Throwing the candles into the filled tub, Tenten made her way out of the bathroom briskly.

Making a run for the now-open door, Tenten held her breath. Hopefully, none of the men of Black Ivory would get to her before she'd even be able to reach the hallway. The sprinklers turned on, engulfing the room and the hall in tiny droplets of water. Through sweat, water, and a little blood, Tenten ran past the many paintings of the Hyuga mafia, hoping to reach the fire exit's stairs at the end of the corridor soon.

Soon enough, she halted her shifting feet in order to grab the fire exit's handle. Not even daring to breath normally, Tenten pulled on the handle and tried to catch her breath…

… Only to find a white-eyed henchman waiting for her at the beginning of the stairs.

A gasp escaped her, followed by a cheerful chime from the elevator not far from where she was. Another henchman, armed and deadly, came in view as the doors grew apart. _Shit, not this, _Tenten thought in a fit of panic. Then, a third henchman appeared nearby, blocking the hallway. _Now what?_

Almost instantly, the three men charged for her. Without thinking, after a glimpse of every serious man's face, Tenten ducked as low as she could and paced towards the fire exit, praying for speed upon her feet. Down small, metal steps she went, hoping she wouldn't miss a step, and when she does, she'd get up quickly before any of them could get their hands on her.

_This is a good time to have a gun! _She screamed in her head, near to crying out of terror and panic. Through the stairs, Tenten nearly threw herself to the next step. She could hear the heavy feet of the henchmen behind her, gaining on her faster than she expected. Their two-way radios' static murmurs seemed to be just behind her neck.

But then, on the next fourth floor she reached, whatever it was, it caught her ankles and pulled her down. Her chin slammed onto a step, causing her to shriek in suffering. A dribble of blood or two ran past her lips, making her shake at the bittersweet taste that invaded her tongue.

"Thought you could escape now, didn't you?" the spicy female voice made her grunt. Hinata pulled her by the arm, lifting her up for a better view. "Aw, got a boo-boo there, huh? We'll fix that later." She eyed her with the anger of an intruded badger, "I'd like to bargain, Tenten, if you're not willing to be a good girl." A snap came from Hinata's fingers.

Immediately, a henchman approached with something—or someone—strapped onto a wooden chair with wheels. Through red and blue wires, a dextrose and a huge monitor that stated the sickly man's pulse, Tenten recognized the hostage sooner than she ever expected. And to Tenten's horror, a bomb counted down. It was strapped onto the man's chest.

"Lee!" Tenten screamed as Hinata pulled her back from getting any nearer from him, "Let Lee go! He's not even fit enough to fit back!" Tenten bore her stare through Hinata's eyes, "Are you such a coward that you're going to pick on people weaker than you?!" Black Ivory tried to resist hitting Tenten for that comment.

Hinata cackled. "It's a little strategy I learned from my ancestors: It's called hostage-taking." Black Ivory pulled Tenten farther from Lee as she started to speak, "Listen now, Tenten, because this is a one-chance kind of thing. Seeing how _selfless _you are," She made it a point to emphasize the word 'selfless', "I'm going to give you a test."

Lee was taken away, to who-knows-where, when Tenten was held firmly by Hinata still. "That bomb is going to blow Young Man's guts to Kingdom Come if you don't do as I say. If you don't do as I say, you say bye-bye to this bush-browed freak _and _to yourself. Now, are you ready to do my bidding?"

"No!" Tenten snapped back, reaching out to hit Black Ivory. Unfortunately, Black Ivory had hit her before she even thought of doing it.

Moaning, Tenten dabbed her fingers onto her lips, checking if the blood was still dripping down her mouth. Definitely, it was. "I want you to do just one thing for me. Then, once that's over, I deactivate Young Man's bomb and set you free. Got it?"

Turning to look at Hinata, Tenten mouthed a dry question, "How am I supposed to know that you're not going to break your promise?"

Black Ivory brought her smirk tighter, drawing a darker aura, "You don't know. But, truly, Young Man's fate in your hands." Hinata crossed her arms across her chest and repeated her offer, saying, "Ready to do my bidding, Tenten?"

There was not much of a choice. Tenten wiped her lip with the back of her hand before mumbling, "What do you want me to do?"

Finally, Tenten gave in. Hinata leaned nearer to Tenten's face, grinning like a predator at its prey, "Remember what Kiba told you yesterday? About your father's death and my cousin's involvement?" Tenten had a feeling that Hinata was up to something wrong… more evil than she thought it would be. "Use it as a motivation. Suppress your anger no longer. Avenge your father…"

"… Tenten, I want you to kill Neji for me."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"What I don't understand," Rose muttered as she and Sasuke made their way through the bustling city, "is why Tenten can't pay the mafia immediately, in the beginning." She took a bite out of her chilidog and added, "She's a rich man's daughter, isn't she not? Then, why does she have to look for a job to pay for the 10,000 dollars? Why can't she sell any of her property to earn anything?"

The past few days still weren't all the twenty-eight that were accommodated, but it felt longer than it usually would. Sasuke chewed on his sandwich, pondering on the fact, too. It was true. Tenten could've done just that, seeing her economic state. Didn't her father leave everything to her, since he mother is divorced? Tenten had known that from the very beginning, too, probably.

Sasuke turned to Rose as she sipped on her soda. He could tell by the loss of luster in her eyes that she was worried of Lee, Neji, Tenten and even the whole Caged Bird Mafia. "We can do what we do best, then:" he suggested, putting down his sandwich, "Investigate."

As if shocked by his words, Rose went to a complete stop, dropped her chilidog and stared blankly into space. "Yeah…" she murmured through bread and condiments, "We could do that. That way, we'd also be helping in the situation without having to be in action." She looked down at her lost chilidog, shrugged, then moved again. Sasuke caught up behind her.

Rose was never much of a gunslinger or martial artist. She specialized in investigations and autopsies, researches, too. Still, she didn't fine pleasure in desk jobs like filing documents or punching holes in folders or signing contracts. This was why she declined the offer of becoming head agent thrice. Despite her love for intelligent work rather than action, she still liked having a mission or two.

Agent Crowe Blood, or Sasuke, wants nothing but to defeat every single enemy he has in front of him. Once, armed with nothing but knuckles and his shirt on his back, Sasuke beat up more than ten able-bodied men in a brawl. And he still had the energy to lift weights afterwards. Still, Sasuke had brains in where his muscles would also be. Back then, he'd hold investigations with Rose Pierce, enjoying most of it.

"Where shall we begin, then?" Rose asked as she disposed of the half-empty cup of soda in the nearest trash bin.

Sasuke gulped the rest of his sandwich without hesitation, "Tenten's house. It always pays to start in the very beginning."

"Alright," Rose said, nodding in agreement, "What're we going to look for, then?"

With that, Sasuke raised his brows as he hailed a cab, "Masaki's last will and testament, maybe. There's sure to be a copy in the house."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Only now did Hanabi ever realize that waiting was also tiring. Tiring to the point when she had fallen asleep on Konohamaru's lap, trying to erase most of her anxieties and apprehensions. The sapphire bullets she found comfort in slid from the smooth slope of her palm, tinkling onto the floor without her knowing. For the last two and a half hours, she has been in another world.

Konohamaru, on the other hand, had never taken his eyes off of Inoichi since he started preparing for the serum that he claims will help Neji gain consciousness faster. Hanabi, actually, was after something that would wake Neji up _ASAP, _and this was the nearest she could get.

Through chemicals and beakers, test tubes and samples, Inoichi wished he were never given the title of 'Scientist of the Year' for nine years in a row. He wished he had never signed that pledge of service to the Caged Bird Mafia. He wished his only child, Ino, had never transformed into a (secretly) world-famous thief. Right now, he was on the phone.

"The chemicals you asked for a while ago are on their way to your lab, Daddy," the cheeriness of Ino's voice swept him away, even through the phone, "I had Shikamaru send them, just a mere twenty minutes ago. Expect them in a few minutes, probably soon, knowing Shikamaru's delivery service." She paused to chew on a nail. "It's been a long time since you last ordered those components. What's it for?"

Inoichi breathed in, and then held it as he spoke. "The Hyugas had a favor to ask of me. It's nothing, Pumpkin, go back to selling your booze." But, before he could put down the phone on his daughter, she asked him a question.

"Does it have anything to do with Neji Hyuga?" she shot out of curiosity.

At this, Inoichi flinched. "You know?"

"I know, Daddy, of course." Ino replied, giggling as she did, "I know a lot about the hottest guy in the Caged Bird Mafia." Her statement was followed by a squeal of a lovesick slut. Inoichi felt his breakfast come up. He didn't like the idea of his baby girl crushing on a mafia boss.

Konohamaru arched a brow and watched Inoichi as he rolled his eyes with his phone on his ears. "Hey, Inoichi!" he called for his attention, "What's the hold up, old man? We have a schedule to catch up with!" Konohamaru took out his gun—carefully not to wake Hanabi up—to threaten the man as how Blue Gun Shot would.

"Y-Yes, sorry…" Inoichi stuttered, putting down the phone after a quick murmur of a goodbye to his Ino. Instantly, Inoichi went back to rummaging for beakers and droppers from his cabinets while Konohamaru put his gun down and relaxed a little bit. He, too, was getting drowsy from lack of sleep and exhaustion.

_Ah, luv, _he thought as he looked down at Blue Gun Shot's still and peaceful face, _If only you'd realize how near we are to getting Eagle Eye back. You'd probably be still pressuring Yamanaka to get going faster, but I'm sure your happiness is swelling up as you do. _At this, he gave her a sweet peck on the cheek, smiling, _Once this is over, I'm treating you to lunch. At a buffet. And you can eat all the ice cream you want._

He knew, after all, that she was still a kid at heart.

Inoichi slipped out of his laboratory for about five minutes, unnoticed, before coming back with a box of liquid. "Here we go," Inoichi grunted as he placed the crate down on his countertop, "All I need to create the serum. In this situation, I'll have it created in fifteen minutes, more or less. After that, we can have Eagle Eye here down it."

"Yeah, yeah," Konohamaru growled, "Just get on with it!" He knew that Blue Gun Shot was jolted into waking up from her nap.

Rubbing her eyes, Hanabi tried to tone her voice as Inoichi went to work, "Good to know there's progress. You better work faster, though, unless you want all twenty of my sapphire bullets rammed down your throat by force!" The announcement sent Mr. Yamanaka sweating profusely than ever and panicking like a turkey at Thanksgiving.

Still, Neji remained on the surgical table, still cold, still unconscious, still paler than white… almost dead…

… The green lines that held his pulse seemed to have a tinge of red somewhere…

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Anything?"

"None, Rose. Not even money!"

"What the hell did they have a vault for, then?"

Sasuke fell back onto his back, looking back at the forcibly opened vault with annoyance. He and Rose had gone through the twinge of having to picklock the vault. They were more than disappointed to find nothing but papers—Tenten's drawings of 'Dadda and Mamma' when she was no older than four, card grades, birth certificates, some safety pins, and a bundle of paper they were still yet to go through.

"You mean, there's nothing good here?" Rose mumbled in irritation, holding her hand out at the vault, "Not a single dollar? Not a cent? Not even a check? I thought the man was rich? _Filthy _rich!" She bit her tongue, "Do you think he has everything in the bank?"

Shaking his head, Sasuke mentioned, "I doubt it. I really do." He scratched his head, baffled in some sort of way, "But, it makes even less sense! If he's filthy rich, why does he borrow money from the Caged Bird Mafia? Doesn't he have enough to support himself and his daughter? Maybe he uses everything in casinos…"

"Or maybe he's a drunkard."

"Even so," Sasuke shook his head at the theories, "He wouldn't be so desperate as to borrow money from the mafia. I wonder…" He grabbed a bundle of the unorganized papers and started leafing through them on his own while Rose whined about fruitless labor. _Random drug test results… _Sasuke read every heading, _Tenten's Junior Year report card, prom pictures, receipts… Hold on. What's this?_

His eyes grew, dilating at the sight. He lifted the bundle to his face, calling Rose, "Look at this." When he thought it'd be just one sheet, it happened to be more than ten sheets held together by numerous staple wires.

Rose scooted nearer to Sasuke, getting a glimpse of the typewritten documents. "… This isn't what we're looking for, but it'll do."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I think the questions come up on their own. ;)**

**Again, I apologize for the prolonged delay. –bows down in shame-**

**Kankuro: -takes out whip- Oh yeah!**

**Me: -sharp eyes- Just you try!**


	16. Day Thirteen: Falling into Place

**I foresee something…**

**Kankuro: You'll trip over your two feet?**

**Me: -whap- It's not that, you ass. No.**

**Kankuro: A squirrel will bite your wrist off.**

**Me: -mega whap- Oh, shut up.**

**Kankuro: So, what is it?**

**Me: 10,000 in 28 Days is gonna be over soon.**

**Kankuro: -Homer howl- Alright!**

**Me: And, I— -trip- Ouch.**

**Kankuro: You tripped! Stupid!**

**Me: I-It was a coincidence! Plus— -squirrel comes out of nowhere and devilishly grins-**

**Kankuro: Ohohoho.**

**Me: Shoot it! Shoot it, damn it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Chapter Summary:**

A centimeter away was the Manor. And they hadn't slowed down at the very least. _We're gonna die!_

**NOTE: Read Author's Note at the end. :)**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Jazz. No, Coffeehouse Blues. What else…_

_She's all I could read when I blinked my eyes open from where I was. For once, I was psychic. As if I had her memorized. Past tables, past customers, past the whole damn world just to get to me. I knew she'd come. And I knew her name, strangely. I wouldn't need to ask._

"_Good afternoon," sophisticated as I may sound, I was euphoric as a child when she approached my spot. Lord, let her hand brush against mine, even just a little bit. I want to die happy. "What'll it be, beautiful?"_

_A sliver of a smile crawled onto her face. "Amazing," she mused, "I never thought polite baristas would still exist in this point of evolution." With a glide of her hand, she took out her tucked wallet from her pocket. I knew that skirt. I got it for her, not long ago. 'Bubbles Corp'/'Pugz'. Black, pink and sky blue clash. Frills and lace swim in a race. It smells like her. I could tell from where I was._

"_A tall glass of double mint chocolate chip. Don't hold back on the whipped cream," she ordered, covering a smile behind her prim fingers. Ah, mint chocolate. No wonder she tastes like it. Punching in the order, I hummed to the saxophone on the radio. Reminds me of too many to mention._

_She handed me the cash before I could even tell her the amount needed. She comes here too often. Oddly reluctant, I took the bills and told her as I tinkled with the cash register, "I'm guessing that'd be for here?"_

"_No," she murmured through the contents of her back pocket, "I'm actually in a hurry," It didn't look like it. Her beam underwent a metamorphosis. "I need to get somewhere soon. I just needed a quick mix to help me make it. I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself!" It showed, indeed. And it picked on my curiosity._

_I held out to her the drink as soon as an employee laid it onto the counter. "Where to?" I tried not to ask. I couldn't help myself._

_She grasped the dewy plastic cup, between my rough fingers, and when a giggle slithered from her lips, everything slowed down. The coffeehouse blues became snail-paced. I stopped breathing. Unconsciously, I peered at our semi-joined fingers, questioning the presence of… a foreign distance… within our reach… between _my _reach…_

… _An engagement ring. A diamond on a band of gold._

_Her sentence strangled me: "I'm on my way to my wedding."_

_I choked in response. I've met her in another life, in some sort of dreamy jaunt I have tried to forget. But, maybe if I had loved her enough in that one lifetime, in that one chance, maybe she wouldn't be ordering drinks from me but rather looking forward to meeting me in that church. _

A second once-in-a-lifetime… I need one… badly…I'm sorry, Tenten. Really sorry…

…

"He's coming to!"

The scream sent Blue Gun Shot off of the desktop she was comfortably slouched on, sending her down with stacks of spreadsheets. "By God, you had better be sure this time, Yamanaka!" she growled, pulling herself up from the neglected carpet, "That's the nth time you've gotten me off of that desk!" And if it's a false alarm, maybe she'll settle with sitting on the floor afterwards.

Inoichi shook his head in wonder, "This time, I'm sure of what I see," he told her, motioning for her to come nearer to the improvised hospital bed where Neji rested, "See, you can even see that he's already blinking!" Like Darwin after finding a chimp say a nursery word, Inoichi gazed down eagerly at his subject.

Entering further the laboratory, Hanabi found Konohamaru at the foot of the bed, snoring. He's been out like a light, like a log, for the last twenty-four hours. She figured he couldn't handle so much work, being just the bird's caretaker back at the headquarters.

"Wake up, luv," she gave him a nudge, her efforts in vain, "Come on, Konohamaru, get your ass off of the floor, damn you."

Inoichi kept his stare at the immobile but conscious Neji as Hanabi continued to try to get her accomplice to rise. Unfortunately, she had gotten impatient. "Wake up, bastard!" she shrieked as she kicked his ribs with too much force. It sent him yelping and hitting his head against the side of the bed. And the sudden movement startled Neji to his seat.

"Aha!" Inoichi squealed as he watched Neji rub his eyes, "My elixir works! It works!" He gave the beaker of his creation a slobbery smack while he exclaimed joyous screeches, "Proclaim me a genius to the world! The world of genetic engineering can reserve a spot for me once again! I won't be stuck in forensics for long!" But before he could continue his rejoicing, Hanabi grabbed him by the collar.

Her glare tore Inoichi up, down to the tip of his sunny ponytail, "Oh, no you don't, Yamanaka," she growled, sadistically depressing her fingernails into his facial pores, as if to rip off his face clean, "I don't care if it's scientists' etiquette to announce every damn discovery to the rest of the world, but there must not be a _single _word about this mess."

"B-But, think of the Pulitzer! The millions of reward money from the departments of science! From CERN! The fame! I could have my own office in Europe and actually not have to pay rent!" His subtle wrinkles wept with him. He was throwing away a chance to transform from Dr. Inoichi Yamanaka to _the _Dr. Inoichi Yamanaka.

Blue Gun Shot merely grinned, her fangs peering from the sides of her lips, "You're a self-proclaimed whiz kid, anyway. I'm sure you can make this same liquid after we take it," It was true, though, that Inoichi was nearly as intellectual and inventive as Leeuwenhoek. The world just had to stop regarding him as a crazy boy playing with test tubes and Bunsen burners.

Being on the safe side, Hanabi grabbed the beaker he held and sealed it. "I'll be confiscating this, in case you get any of your psychotic ideas to rush to Einstein's grave and pour every drop of the gunk in." She didn't like the thought of zombie brain-freaks invading the universe. Not again.

Konohamaru watched Neji observe his surroundings. He was glad it didn't look anything like Hinata's lair would be. Still, it reminded him of Hannibal Lecter. All the same, his mind was still on a rampage: Tenten isn't in his sight.

"You shouldn't even try that," Konohamaru warned Neji as he proceeded to throw his legs over the bed's edge to get up, "It's been more then forty-eight hours since you fell into the waters and arrived here. Your body's still pretty weak. Hey, hey! That's my gun! Aw, Hanabi, come on, your cousin's walking away with my Scorpion!"

"Neji!" Hanabi yelled out, tailing him as he limped through the office. Finally, she took him by the shoulder, firmly keeping him grounded on the spot, "I know where Tenten is. Don't worry. Hinata hasn't hurt her. She's like a hostage, maybe. She wants you to go to them, so she can deal with you. You know the—"

"Hostage!" he exclaimed, still gripping the Scorpion. Konohamaru nervously watched over Neji's trigger finger. _Dear lord, please keep him from pulling on it! _"Hinata does _not _take people to keep as hostages! It's not in our natural propriety to! Especially her!" He felt a surge of blood in his arms, realizing that he should've heeded to Konohamaru's concern, "She takes people… in order to _use _them."

Blue Gun Shot snatched the submachine gun from his frail fingers, taking it slowly since he was still pretty thin-skinned from the incident, "So you're afraid that Black Ivory would use her against you?" There was a humongous possibility that it's what Hinata plans to do. Taking someone's most precious loved one and turning him/her against the opponent is an overrated strategy… but it takes a lot to make it successful.

"What else?"

"Knowing Tenten, she'd have her own escape plan by now. And you're stronger than Black Ivory. Well, at least till you've recovered at least half of your charisma," she bluntly said, hoping it'd get him to reconsider resting first before bursting back into the scene. To her respite from the intensity, Blue Gun Shot was too delighted to see his tense muscles cease for now. She turned to Konohamaru behind them, "Take the rest of these that Yamanaka made."

Obediently, Konohamaru turned to the counter by the experimentation station, noticing how Yamanaka wanted to halt him so badly. Inoichi knew better, though. It was either that or he'd run away with his work but get shot in the middle of his getaway. As Konohamaru gathered most of what was left of the beakers, Hanabi was ready to bark out more orders, like for a transportation mean from the Org…

… Suddenly, Blue Gun Shot sensed the Scorpion fading from her grasp.

"Eagle Eye! You!" her voice barely reached his ears. Even the beaker she confiscated was taken. _Was he a pickpocket before? _She had realized it more than a second too late. He was already running out of Inoichi's door, down the slippery hall of the camp, "Oh, when I get my hands on you, you son of a—!"

The sound of breaking glass and the opening of a once-locked fire exit jolted her. Turning around, she found the lab in a jumble bigger than it used to be. Unknown substances swam across the floor tiles, glittering. A liquid started to burn its way through the cement. Worst of all, Inoichi was forcing himself through the jerked-open fire exit, accommodating a few beakers in a messenger bag.

Slightly confused, Hanabi rushed to Konohamaru's side as he clasped Inoichi's ankle, hoping to delay his flight. "Is that your daughter's bag, Mr. Yamanaka?" Konohamaru asked out of nowhere, taking note of the bag's feminine hue of spunky purple and the embroidered flowers on the strap.

"My wife's, actually!" he responded as he tried desperately to kick Konohamaru away, "Now let go!"

Lending him one of her Berettas, Blue Gun Shot questioned Konohamaru as she offered a hefty pull, making Inoichi squirm nosier, "Can you handle this old man, luv?" She heaved again, making Inoichi shriek. She assumed it'd hurt, no doubt about it. Quickly, she tucked in a case of her sapphire bullets into Konohamaru's pocket, in case he needs it.

"Of course," he answered, confident in himself, "Just catch Eagle Eye Neji. He's in no state for running around with that gun and 'power drink'. You go after him and if he really thinks he can take it, let him go to Black Ivory. Just watch over him often, alright?" He nuzzled his nose against hers, making her rumple her nose, "Take care, luv."

"Remember to shoot like a man," Hanabi gave him a last reminder before she sped her steps up in order to catch up with Neji. _With my delay, I might not get to him soon. He could be outside of the facility now, since we knocked out all reinforcements when we got here. Seeing that this place isn't governmentally supported, back-up security wouldn't be arriving till tomorrow night._

As for Neji, he ran out of breath sooner than he had anticipated. Hoping the medicine would help in any way, he popped the stopper from the beaker's mouth and gulped down a fourth of his supply. The mafia's medical requirements have trusted Inoichi. This couldn't hurt him, if it revived him as he had heard Inoichi claim.

Neji just wasn't sure of what would come up next, after he had finally gotten away from here.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

_…These lines of lightning mean we're never alone… never alone. No, no! …_

"Oh, I know this song!"

"Shh!"

"Ulp. Sorry."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He knew this song, too. _Accidentally in Love_. By some band he had forgotten the name of. Something like Counting Ravens or Drawing Crows or Writing Magpies. He has truly forgotten. On the last time he heard that song, he was enjoying a karaoke night with a few colleagues, including Rose Pierce, celebrating their victory against a tropical murder investigation. And he had sung that song for her.

Now, years after that moment, he was hearing that song all over again. He was tempted to hum it. He would if he wasn't crawling through a ceiling pathway with Rose Pierce, a piece of his past, a bartender half-time smuggler thief, Ino and her houseboy, Shikamaru. Nonetheless, he had time to ponder on the lyrics once again, how so many people are so… accidentally in love.

"Are we there yet, Ino?" Rose whispered behind Ino's arse wrapped in the neon wetsuit-style mini skirt she had on, "Or were you too engrossed in that stupid song to even remember you had any sense of direction? Oh, wait…" Rose paused, faking a tone that screamed innocent, "You don't have a sense of direction, do you?"

"Like you do!" Ino screamed at her, turning around to find Rose with her tongue stuck out at her, "Shut the fuck up, you Nose-Job Reject! I'm the one with the keys! Now it's either you follow my lead or pave your own way and get lost! What'll it be, you mother fu—"

Seeing how their chances of ever getting caught had increased (by 62 percent, perhaps), Sasuke shot them an admonition, "Girls, listen. We have to get going. I really don't give so much of a damn if you're going to throw insults at each other, but can you do it _after _the dilemma we're dealing with? It'll do all of us a great favor." His ebony orbs held them coldly.

Rose simply nodded after sending Ino a murmured offense: "Liposuction addict." On the other hand, Ino flashed a naïve beam at Sasuke. But when she heard Rose's mumble, she snarled back a foul remark: "Whatever, Bust-lift Cretin." Shikamaru could only stifle a sigh as he stayed at the end of the line, _This is more troublesome than it sounded on the phone._

About three hours ago, during the bar's happy hour, Rose Pierce contacted Ino's direct line hesitantly. Calling up a colleague for help is normal. But when you call up the colleague who backstabbed you by aiding in spreading rumors about you and your private life, try to realize that it is something you don't always want to jump into. Always think twice about it. No, thrice.

Sasuke and Rose had found a crucial document to Tenten's financial problem, despite her being born to a rich man: A certificate of inheritance. A last will and testament could've done the trick, but the certificate was enough. The certificate shocked them, making Rose shudder in repugnance at Old Man Masaki's injustice towards his daughter: Masaki's fortune, when he dies, goes to his wife—who had already moved away and started a new life. Imagine the aged woman's luck to lose her husband early in their arranged marriage.

In order to further assist after their certificate finding, the two decided to enter the Manor. So, they needed Ino's keys, the ones she stole from the government. It opened any door within the city's premises, the ultimate skeleton key. And they needed them to open a few secret passageways such as the ceiling pathway they were now using. With the help of Rose Pierce's blueprints, they had managed to make it this far. If only the girls wouldn't ruin their cover…

"Here," Ino signaled them to stop as she peered through the cracks underneath her knees. Through these, she saw Harumi, coiled in chains with her feet shrouded in what seemed to be once a white cloth. If it weren't for the blotches of red on it, Ino wouldn't be so worried about the woman. "Is this the lady you guys were talking about? Harumi?"

Rose pushed her out of the way and scampered towards the crack below them. "I guess," she shrugged, not recognizing the woman, "We'll never know. The Harumi we saw in the documents about the mafia was a _way _younger woman. I mean, she still had black hair and less wrinkles—"

"That should be her!" Sasuke interfered, wondering if Rose had forgotten that her documents on the mafia dated almost nearly thirty years ago, "People age, so of course she's not the same woman in the files. I can faintly see silver eyes. The Hyugas' trademark, if I'm correct. Want to take a bet?"

"More than willing," Rose mumbled as she snapped her watch from her slim wrist. After a twist of a knob and a click of a few buttons, a minute, battery-operated chainsaw popped out of the watch's face and whirred to Rose's liking. It was one of her favorites, since it used to tease Sasuke back then. Carefully, she let the moving blades touch the crack, chunking the pieces off with satisfying twinkles.

"Easy does it, Rose," Shikamaru tried to help at the very least, since the ceiling could collapse underneath them and destroy everything, "We don't want anything falling apart imprudently." He couldn't give himself a rest. Even if this chick called herself a proficient agent, letting a woman do her thing without constant warning is like telling Ino not to drink so much after she has gotten drunk.

Chunks of peeling paint and the thin wood that served as the ceiling path's floor flew at Rose's face, making her flinch every now and then. Her worry wasn't for anything foreign getting into her eye. It was the possibility of losing a finger. _I've seen enough blood on this mission already, _Rose thought bitterly to herself, _I don't think I'd like to see mine splattered._

To her dismay, the wood she was working on was beginning to give up. "Oh, shit, not yet!" Rose squeaked as she took the watch away from the woodwork, "Don't fall apart, please! No, no." She felt herself take her hold on Sasuke's arm as the wood groaned. She heard Ino swear in Italian (something worthwhile she has learned from her father) as Shikamaru prepared himself for anything. Sasuke was more concerned of what they'd meet below.

But then, silence crept in. To their luck, the wood had shut up. Before they could breathe a gust of relief, though, two creaks cracked through the wood gap Rose was working on. The wood had timing, to be so inanimate but to have a mischievous quirk to give things away.

A scream or two escaped from them as the wood collapsed beneath them, making them fall into the room they were eyeing through a tiny looking-hole not long ago. Chips of wood and dust shrouded them as they rubbed their eyes and their aching bodies. "Oh, gawd," Ino moaned, coughing from the grime, "Good job, Hair-Dye Moron, you just got us into a heap of trouble."

Before them was indeed an elder woman, her mouth stuffed with cloth. Only muffled screams came from her mouth as she tried to squirm out of the chains at their sight. They swore there were blobs of tears in her squinted eyes, behind her wrinkles. The song was playing, somewhere in this room, but they could not detect where it came from. Insignificant as it seemed, Sasuke didn't take any chances. He knew when to be suspicious. Why would they leave a radio playing? In this room—

"Are you alright, Harumi?" Rose asked as she carefully wedged her fingers between the lips of the woman to free her speech, "Are you bleeding?" Rose's first initiative was to ask if she was fine, for it was her training. Ino's schooling taught her that the first thing to look for in such a situation was something alcoholic. Shikamaru, on the other hand, observed the surroundings.

But Sasuke was the first to realize anything wrong. "What is this place?" First of all, he wondered, why are the only light sources from between the cracks of the walls, ceiling and door hinges? Did Hinata purposely do it to conceal Harumi? But it didn't seem right. She didn't need to do that, unless—

Once her mouth was freed from the balled cloth, Harumi blurt out in a panicky, croaky tone, "Pl-Pleasssse g-het outt …of here—! …H-Hav-v-ve to go-o! S-So-ong-ng-ng ends, this roo-m-m! It'll-!" She paused in hyperventilation. The anxiety attack was going to kill the woman's heart before the excessive bleeding does.

"What?!" Ino shrieked, trying to calm her down, "It'll what? Explode? What?!"

Shikamaru responded as he walked towards a wall. He pressed his ear against it, checking its hollowness and if there was anyone on the other side. When the vital signs he checked for were assuring, he was sure that he heard water outside. Gulls. But the birds were seemingly distant, as if they were not supposed to be there. And then, Shikamaru found the source of the song, from listening to the rest of the world…

"Shit." It was all he said, making everyone turn behind them and find something strapped to the farthest wall. Black, bold numbers didn't glow as it counted down silently along with the song, its countdown. A device the size of a portable shredder smiled at them. "It's not a bomb. It can't be a bomb." A bomb would be too damaging. They were inside the Manor. Hinata wouldn't plant a bomb in her little base camp.

"I-It's…" Harumi wheezed, supported by Ino's arms, "It's H-H-Hina… Hinata…s…"

"Get a hold on your breath!" Sasuke urged Harumi, pressuring her to fight back her anxiety, "Speak up! You have to! Do you know how to stop that—whatever it is? If you do, tell us now before anything happens!" He watched Rose give Harumi's chains a forceful tug, hoping her blood circulation would at least commence again. When Harumi still didn't answer, Sasuke repeated, "What do we do, Harumi?!"

… _We're accidentally in love… Accidentally in loooove…_

"That's bullshit! The song's nearing the end," Ino whimpered as she tore at the ropes that tied Harumi's ankles together, keeping her feet hidden within the sack, "If that thing explodes or expels gas or something after the song, we haven't got much time." She turned to Harumi as he fingers worked blindly, "Harumi, you have to pull yourself together. Please." But when she saw Shikamaru near the device, her heart nearly stopped.

"Shikamaru!" Ino yelled at him as she nearly fell over from fright, "What the fuck are you doing there?! Get away from it!"

But he didn't even hear her. He ran his fingers through the metal, feeling the song pound on his head as it pulsed at the maximum volume, "Oh my gawd," he mumbled, as if he didn't believe his eyes. On the metal, it read 'Silver Wing': Ino's companion company in bomb-smuggling, "It's a frickin' bomb."

Confused, Sasuke approached Shikamaru's location as Rose exclaimed, "But you just said it couldn't be a bomb, which makes sense. Why would Hinata put a bomb in a room of the Manor? She's not that fucked-up! Not to this extent!" The song remained to haunt them as Harumi dropped fat tears in terror, "What made you think it's a bomb, Shikamaru?"

"It's got 'Silver Wing' on it," he mentioned as he attempted to break open the bomb's control panel in order to deactivate it somehow, "Ino knows 'Silver Wing'. Ask her if I'm wrong."

Ino was tempted to gnaw on the ropes while she answered, "That's a bomb company! Shit, that _is _a bomb!" And there, the ropes gave way. Hurriedly, Ino brushed away all the thick strings, freeing Harumi's purple and bruised ankles, "You have to disable it, Shika!" She continued to unravel the cloth around Harumi's feet when she was intrigued by something that touched her fingertip. It wasn't skin or cloth or rope…

… _I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love… Accidentally…_

When Shikamaru managed to crack the panel open, he asked Sasuke, "How do we do this? The cutting of the red wire?"

"You watch too many movies," Sasuke rolled his eyes at the cliché sense and took out his wallet. Slowly, he pulled out a thin sheet of metal from one of the pockets and gave it a firm press from between his forefinger and thumb. Immediately, lights popped from the chrome. He stuck it onto the bomb and said, "This is an automatic bomb decoder. It'll calculate the mechanics of the bomb and tell us which wires to switch or snip."

"We don't have that kind of time!" Rose argued as Harumi went limp in her hold. The sickly old woman was trying to say something, but it all sounded like gibberish from a dying hog, "Just kill the bomb! We have to kill the—" Suddenly, Rose found herself stopping for a moment. Thoughts clung to her head. _Bomb. Why a bomb in this room? And the wall… Tarpaulin-thin? …Wait a minute…_

Hastily, she took out the crumpled blueprint of the Hyuga Manor, straightening out the creases in the middle of the alarm and immediate requirement of the situation. She traced her finger through the map, retracing their steps from their entrance through the path they have taken. At last, her eyes grew in horror as she realized where they were.

"We're in an 'extension' room," she whispered as she pulled herself from the map, "In plain mafia, it's where their 'clients'…" she gulped, "… are prepared for their sleep with the fishes."

Shikamaru's eyes almost fell out of their sockets. Quickly, he took out his Swiss knife and tore at the wall before them. Ripping of material thin as paper came through. And there, light exploded into the room. Before them was the sea, a green-blue valley. And they were nearly fifteen feet from the waters, supported only by a few wooden poles. _That explains the gulls._

The extension room was connected to the Manor, but a little more isolated than the other rooms in a mandatory manner. Mafia would bring those in the way into this room and prepare him for a watery grave. They cemented their feet together, to have an anchor that they may never come back at all, and they'd open a trapdoor and throw the victim into the mercy of the sea. Only, the Hyugas didn't have trapdoors. They said it was too… simple.

Rose observed the room. The walls were newer than they deserve to be. It was insane, to renew the walls of a room regularly as they assumed it had been. But they probably only had one reason. "The Hyugas didn't like trapdoors because of the lack of dignity," she said, shaking, "So they threw victims through the tarpaulin walls, to his death. They wanted their enemies to die with a scream in their throats. They believed their enemies didn't deserve to die with a peaceful soul, whatever the death may be."

The Caged Bird Mafia was ruthless at its best.

"Rose…" Ino murmured as she pulled on the cloth around Harumi's ankles, revealing a breaking revelation: Harumi's cut and bruised feet were cemented together, "Our assumptions are right." The two women turned to the straining Shikamaru and Sasuke, who were vainly trying to pull the bomb from its indestructible hold on the floor. _That's the targeted area. The floor. We'll fall into the water! Sadist…_

_Hinata wanted Harumi to die sleeping with the fishes, at the bottom of the sea._

And there, the pieces fell into place.

… _I'm… in… loooove…_

And the song had ended, too.

The bomb glowed in Shikamaru's face as he and Sasuke realized it too late. "Shikamaru, get out of there!" Ino yelled as she picked herself up and ran to across the room as fast as she could. The world slowed down as Rose tried to grab her from getting nearer to bomb. Her heartbeat was throbbing second-by-second. Then…

…The extension room melted with the explosion.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.O.o.O**

Black Ivory couldn't control her contentment, "Never thought things would be _this _easy, Kiba?"

He merely nodded as she brought her glass of alcohol above her head, cheering to their forthcoming further victory. The sequins of her blouse chattered under the light of her bedroom. By the shut balcony doors, inside the safety of her room, Hinata watched the extension room fall apart not far from where they were. _Stupid room, that place, _she thought sourly as she downed her drink, _Mother fuckers died there. Harumi best die there and be with the rest of her fucking society._

As for Kiba, he wasn't in such a mood to rejoice. He had recalled his first time meeting Hinata, strangely, in the middle of his rounds. He threw his sight at his damaged fingers, hardly paying attention to them anymore after Hinata fixed them right after destroying them with her tools. He was beginning to wonder…

…If she was going too far already.

"That shit isn't going to drink itself, Kiba," Hinata squawked in her jolly state, not because of any intoxication. She picked up the bottle she took from the wet bar downstairs, "Come on, just help me finish this gunk, so I can get us a stronger alcohol percentage. This Chateau Petrus crap isn't working on me at all!" Black Ivory was so coaxed to throw the bottle of liquid against the wall, if it didn't cost so much for a disgrace of wine.

"Hinata, do you remember how we made our deal?" Kiba suddenly found himself asking her, making Black Ivory cock a brow and spill a little wine onto her neckline. She was mouthing a silent _What the fuck? _He only went on, "I said I'd help you if you free Tenten from her bonds with Eagle Eye Neji, right?" He wasn't sure of what the hell was coming through him. Whatever it was, Hinata was half-pissed.

She nodded and decided to check where this was going, "Yeah, no fine print. Why double-check now?"

"It's n-nothing," he muttered as he kept his grip on his glass, "I'm just wondering: Why aren't you doing anything about it yet?"

"About what?"

"Eagle Eye and Tenten. They're still standing up for each other. Why don't you just dig a bullet through Neji's head instead of playing around with thugs, trusting people who can't pull off the job? And Tenten… I never heard anything from you about keeping her here! It makes her more infuriated, making her want Neji more."

Black Ivory only cackled the laugh of an evil stepmother. "My dear, you still don't know our ways, do you?" She leaned forward, catching Kiba's glare in hers, "I _am _keeping my promise in this buyoff. Don't you see? I'm simply just using them against each other, to make things more interesting. Don't you like that?" To her, it was like watching two cocks fight and having placed a bet on the opponent: Interesting. Ultimately.

"Isn't it unnecessary?" Kiba questioned.

Hinata, again, downed her drink and gasped in satisfaction, "We mafia like to do our jobs either simple or fancy. It depends on what the hell we're dealing with," She took the bottle and gave it a disgusted leer, "Now, this situation and buyoff between us is pretty complex. So we'd better solve it with a really, really fancy solution."

"I still want your reason for keeping Tenten in here. Why make _her _go through the trouble and risk of doing the dirty work?" Kiba questioned her, still considering that Tenten was still her friend. He didn't like the thought of her going for the kill and possibly becoming the killed.

Hinata only licked her glass clean. "I want Neji to suffer in many ways. What fun it would be to break Cousin's heart by having his girlfriend turn against him, right?" Happily, Hinata waited for his response but decided to add, "Oh, and do me a favor and give her a little more motivation, Kiba. When she sees Neji, I want her to just tug on that fucking trigger and laugh hard. Real hard." She put down the Petrus and told Kiba, "The pool's available. Want a dip?"

"I obviously don't have anything personal on me," Kiba honestly said. He's been wearing mafia attire for as long as he could remember, as long as he was with Hinata. He was starting to wonder if his family was looking for him. _Ma would assume that I'm drunk or dead somewhere, lying down on sunburnt concrete. Hana's probably assuming I am, too._

Black Ivory pushed her chair from the coffee table and stood up, saying, "You can swim bare-assed for all I care."

Still, Kiba's queries got her disarmed for a moment. She could remember herself asking stupid questions as a child, too…

Her gut twisted. The spice in her throat rose to her mouth's cavity. Before she knew it, she had soiled her Easter dress of frills and cotton. Her relatives just watched as her father took her side, wiping whatever was coming out her mouth. She heard Hanabi squeak in revolt as Neji poked at her vomit.

"_Oh, come now, Hinata," she heard someone tell her, pulling her to her feet, "A little blood can't hurt you."_

_Hinata nearly exploded when she heard it. "A little blood!" she squeaked, tugging on her drenched skirt, "The deer's nearly open all the way! I… I can't look at it!" She wanted to throw her stubby arms around her father's neck and cry. But she couldn't. She couldn't afford to let her father down again by showcasing weakness. She had to 'make her bones' now._

_As for her sister, she seemed unaffected by what was going, except for the vomit. She couldn't bear the stench. Oddly, she could bear throwing her hands into the deer's ribs and watching blood smother her fingers and seep into her nails. In that yellow cocktail dress, she was divine. Only the rifle strapped to her back was what destroyed her image._

"_Skin it, Hinata," she knew it was Neji who said it. His arrogant voice was a chirp of a falcon, compared to everyone else's. She blames his mother. A Broadway singer lent some of her voice to the child. It frustrated Hinata of how Neji was more of a beautiful woman than she ever was, "You know you have to." He was right. In his hand was a sack of his skins, the ones he earned from skinning the other does earlier. Fearless child._

"_No, no, no!" she screamed, kicking her way to her father's arms, traumatized, "Get the deer away! I don't want to touch it! No, no, no!" The kin around them reacted negatively at her reluctance to show some backbone, "Daddy, don't make me!" She stared into her father's eyes, hoping he'd let her pass._

_Eight years old and afraid. They would've made her an exception. But it wasn't that. She was different. Some odd result of their blood. Their line consisted of all callous people of power. Why didn't this girl bring the same temperament? "Hinata," her father had told her, "You are young. Youth brings your squeamishness. I want that to disappear by the time you have turned thirteen." He planted a kiss on her forehead, "Make me proud one day."_

_What she didn't understand was the need for a woman to know such barbaric acts. Weren't women meant to stay at home, knit, sew, cook, tend the children, clean, die with a clean floor to make up for their existence? She also could not understand Hanabi's 'bloody mouth'—as she had heard—which was a term for enjoying homicide too much. She didn't know till she had turned fourteen that it was because mafia was her life and she had to be more than just a housewife… because she was Hyuga._

_They praised Neji, though, and Hanabi. Excellent children, they'd say. Even at a tender age, Neji had always held the smooth contours of his elegant face. Like his father, he enjoyed hunts, the sight of helpless animals dying by their bullet. As long as it wasn't him withering away, it wouldn't matter that much. Hanabi was another case, always high on the scent of gunpowder. She inherited the strong features of her father, looking more forceful than any Hyuga woman._

"_It's your choice," they heard Mamam Harumi say when Hanabi, twelve, and Neji and her, fourteen, were summoned to the hollow grand hall before coming out in the garden for Hanabi's birthday celebration, "But you have to pick which you believe is truly right. The long-term kind of right. The lifetime-long right." _

_Without hesitation, both Neji and Hanabi had taken the guns from their grandmother's hold. They gave each other a high five, imagining what power they could one day hold as a part of the Hyuga mafia. As for Hinata, she was sure she didn't want to see another dead deer…_

_But she wanted revenge. Sweet revenge._

_She took the gun, too. Hopefully, she'll get back at everyone, at Neji and Hanabi. For the humiliation, the pressure, the prejudice. And she'll rule the mafia world like the Clericuzio once did._

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

The flyover's traffic had gotten into everyone's heads. Irritable, sweating drivers swore through the scorching high-noon sun…

Ice-blue flames spray-painted onto his ride, the middle-aged man with the helmet between a silver Camry and black Honda Civic wasn't expecting anything. After all, he was just listening to station 90.3 on his way to lunch. What else could destroy his mood, aside from the heat and the cheesy song playing?

A hand heavily clapped onto his shoulder. "I hope you don't mind," a manly but angelic tone took him. He turned around, gazing past his tinted helmet front into the eyes of the moon. Before he could even swear—Western-style—he was pulled off of his motorcycle, onto the hot concrete, "I have a damsel to save," The stranger finished.

Leaving the motorist on the crumby ground, Eagle Eye Neji jerked his wrist onto the handle, making the motor roar. He tucked a lock behind his ear and brought the motorcycle front up a few inches and formed a wheelie, racing past the cars. "Hey!" Blue Gun Shot shrieked, trying to catch up. Red flushes spotted her face and dots of sweat decorated her lean, white neck.

As Neji rushed through the traffic on the Sanchez, dodging the numerous cars and other vehicles impatiently waiting for the green light at the end of the massive line. Hanabi, on the other hand, had climbed onto the roof of a nearby Aston Martin, caught the edge and swung through the open window, landing onto the seat beside the driver flexibly and smoothly.

"Drive, you ass!" she ordered, catching the anonymous driver off-guard. Gawking, he suddenly decided to follow her demands when she took out the stubby shotgun and repeated her command. She gave the guy a shove on the arm and exclaimed, "Step on the gas and overtake that dork in front of you!" The driver bit his lip. He hoped the police would believe his story.

Meowing like a pleased puma, the motorcycle was far off, way ahead. Neji sometimes pulled it over car roofs, thrusting dents and scratches onto the metal. His only initiative was to get Tenten back and get rid of Black Ivory once and for all. He didn't need to be discreet for long. As long as he didn't leave evidence of _his _existence and the mafia's.

With a lot of threatening, pushing and vulgar language, the Aston was seven feet behind Neji already. At this, Hanabi had managed to stick half of her body out of the window, prayerful that no truck would run half of her over before she could even start doing stunts of stupidity. "Cuz, will you just listen to me for a minute?!" she screeched through blowing air and speed, "Just one _fucking _minute!"

"And then what?" Neji bitterly shot back at her, everything about him distorting into blurs as he speeded slickly through the flyover, "You'll make me get out of the way of Black Ivory! I'm strong enough to do things on my own, so don't try to stop me, you little shit! Damn, how could you! How could you tell me to walk away from the best thing that has happened to me? Huh?" He turned his eyes back onto the road, "At least let me save Tenten!"

Clinging on for her life, Blue Gun Shot tried to pull herself onto the moving car's top, continuing her conversation, "I'm not trying to stop you, idiot!" Rolling her eyes, she was beginning to be sure that Neji was so terrified of Tenten's life, he was starting to become utterly cross, "I'm trying to be fair! To you, especially! Every action we make has to be precise, logical and clear-cut. Plus, the consequences—"

"Gawd, Blue G!" Neji replied in his raised voice, "Since when did you care about consequences? Since when did you hesitate in getting Hinata's ass kicked flat off our backs?"

At this, Blue Gun Shot only shook her head in contempt. One last time, she told the unnamed driver of the car she was on to "keep driving or die with shards up his back" while she readied herself. Finally, she positioned her hands onto the roof edge and heaved herself, force flowing from her powerful legs. Victoriously, she landed onto the seat, nearly missing to take her hold and almost falling. She held on to Neji's shirt as the motorcycle continued to speed.

Hanabi remained quiet, hearing the whirr of motors and the honks of car horns. Until they were off the flyover, Neji wasn't sure of what to do to save Tenten and get even with Hinata. Hanabi was right: He shouldn't just barge out into the panorama of death without the necessary arrangements. Eventually, Blue Gun Shot spoke up.

"You plan on getting there on this puny thing?" The sparkle in her minuscule eyes amused Neji as she jeered on the hijacked ride. What choice did he have? A car wouldn't be able to reach the destination faster due to the traffic, even if it were a BMW-GTR with a fresh motor and a refill of Italian fuel. She added boastfully, "I've ridden a faster skateboard. I should know."

Neji traced a surge of hilarity in his jaw, "What do you suggest, Blue G?"

Hanabi dug into her boot, and produced a sapphire key the size of a toothpick. "Why don't we take my baby? She needs a warm-up, after being untouched for months."

"Your baby?"

"Yes," she replied immediately as she hid the key again, "My baby."

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.**

Any trace of the demolition minutes ago has faded into the foam and waves. All has gone without a trace but the panicky voice of Rose Pierce.

Between gasps and desperate attempts to reach anything that can stop her commencing journey towards the bottom of the sea, she shrieked out, "Sasuke! Sasuke, where are you? Sasuke!" All thoughts of Ino and Shikamaru had flown off of her mind. Her priority was he. With the looks of the waves, anyone could be anywhere.

Stripping herself of her shoes, Rose began to paddle her arms around her. She caught sight of the shore almost a mile away. Even if it was already low tide, the waves were angry, consuming. "Sasuke, answer if you can hear me, please!" She was still hoping he'd reply, and bring her relief by showing up alive. But there was nothing. She heard nothing but the rushing of water and gulls overhead.

Remembering her own safety, Rose took her jacket closer to her body and located the hidden tubes within the apparel. Briskly, she blew into the tubes as one would with a plane lifejacket. _Thank God for Org multipurpose jackets. _Finally finding her security, Rose floated about the waves, eyeing the open ocean with her reddened eyes. Trying to keep calm, she pushed away the seaweed coming at her while she scanned the waters.

Wisely, she snapped her communicator from her belt, confident of its waterproof ability, "This is Agent Rose Pierce. I have a situation. Connect me with my tracking device. Over." When she had taken her thumb from her radio, a buzz whirred. But no human reply. A little worried more than she should be, Rose elongated her radio's antenna and clipped it to her ear. This way, she'd be able to explore the ocean more for her companions and the victim.

Holding her breath, Rose dunked her head beneath the surface, ripping the water. Salt stung her eyes as she gazed at the darkness below. Wood and remains of the extension room flew in places with the water, but not a body in sight. Her brows came into a knot. Intolerant of the eye pangs, blurred vision and running oxygen, she threw her head back into the surface.

Coughing with drops in her cavities, Rose Pierce returned to her radio, praying for an answer from the Org, "This is Rose Pierce! I need to be connected with my tracking device! I repeat: this is an emergency! Urgent acknowledgement required! Over!" The hollow whisper of air blew from her radio. No reply, still.

"Sakura! Sakura!" Rose heard her real name called out, a taboo in various forms. Relieved but anxious, she turned her head in all directions. Successfully, she spotted figures on the shore. Sodden, sandy and limp persons, one of them laid flat on the sand and one waving weakly at her. She recognized right away who it was. "Ino! Oh my gawd, you're alright!"

As fast as she could, Rose forced her arms to work faster, to bring her to the shoreline. Her eyes were beginning to fail, from all the salt and wet grime entering. With every motion, the shore seems to run farther, away from her. But when she has finally reached it, the weight of the world fell on her.

"Sasuke!" she screamed as she tumbled onto her knees from the sluggish hold of the water on her. Before her and Ino was Sasuke, conscious but seriously burnt despite the water impact. Though his strong face was merely singed, his limbs were blotted with burns and blood. Rose's initial move was to unbuckle her portable medical kit and grab for something that could help. She was always prepared with her usual medicines.

"N…Now that is what I call… a compulsion…" Sasuke mumbled between seared lips as Rose examined intently one of his open wounds. Rose didn't answer to his remark. As for Ino, she supported herself with propped shoulders as her eyes met the ocean. Shikamaru was nowhere to be found. He was on top of her fears. His life, at least.

Ino turned to Rose, who had her face streaked in both saltwater and saline tears. "Where else does it hurt?" Her voice croaked in fright of any impending danger that could take him away on this moment, right here and now. When Sasuke shut his eyes gently and didn't speak, she screamed, "I said where else does it hurt, Sasuke?!"

Sasuke only partly flipped one eye open at her, to show that he was still among them, "Take my gun."

Rose didn't want to listen or believe what she thought she had just heard, "You haven't answered my question yet."

He pulled his gun from the garter of his pants, and then feebly pushed it towards Rose. He firmly pressed his hand onto hers, the grains sticking to them as if entering their pores. "You heard me. Take my gun. Org policies state that every mission has to start somewhere and end only with one scene: Us winning," he smiled weakly as Rose saw her teardrops taint his chest.

"I know what the fucking hell the Org policies say!" Rose snapped at him savagely, returning to losing control of both her itching fingers and exploding emotions, "Just… stay with me! Quit the sentimentality and…" But she could read the solemnity in his scowl, "Sasuke, you can't be serious. I need you in this mission."

He only snickered in a whisper, "No, you don't mean that," She had an idea of what he was hinting, but never assumed, "You're a one-man agent. I bet you can deal with this shit without me to get in the way." He brought his hand to her face, rubbing the back of his fingers against her supple porcelain cheek, "Just get the job done, alright? Atta girl…" And his hand softened up, plopping onto his stomach.

Rose's lashes beat with every nanosecond, hoping to halt any more tears from coming, "Sasuke! Shit, Sasuke, don't leave me!" She dropped her medical equipment, finally getting a hold of Sasuke's cold hands, wrapping an arm around him as she continued to call to him, "Sasuke, no! I said don't leave me! Not now! Not ever! You can't… do this to me, damn you!" She felt Ino hold her down from going too far. She only cried harder.

"Hush, Rose," Ino murmured, pulling her away from Sasuke, "He's alive. You know that. He'll make it. Just do as he says."

Stubbornly, Rose shook her head and replied viciously, "No, I have to be sure he'll stay alive! I won't leave him!"

"Rose, will you just—!" Ino shot at her, irritated at her friend's grief, "Look, if ever he doesn't make it, that's… that's life." Ino bit back, regretting the mention of the possibility of Sasuke's death, "Just do everyone, especially Sasuke, a favor and don't let his endeavors go to waste. Get up, pick up his gun and finish the mission."

Turning to Ino, Rose tried to say what she wanted, what she felt had to be done. But in Ino's slowly tearing eyes, Rose saw and knew that Ino could relate with her troubles. Ino opened her mouth to say with a heavy heart, "Shikamaru's nowhere to be found. I won't leave this place till I find him. I'll be here, to look after Sasuke and search for Shikamaru and try my luck on Harumi. I'll call for my backup. You go on."

"Will you be alright here?"

"Hell yeah, Eye-bag Removal Discard," Ino answered hastily as she tried to get up, "I'm a bitch. A bartender bitch. When did I let you down, eh?"

_Oh, I dunno, _Rose thought bitterly as she pushed herself from the moist sands, _A million times already. Since we were like six. I couldn't even trust you with chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. But, hey. You're a natural bitch all right. I can leave you alone and be guaranteed that you'll be alive all the way. _"Okay, Ino," Rose finally said, cocking Sasuke's gun, "Take care, Silicon Ass."

_And, good lord, may Sasuke be alive, too, when I come back._

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Bitch! Don't you know how to drive this thing?!"

"I forget, you know!" Blue Gun Shot snapped back at Neji as she tried to get her baby—a Sparrow helicopter—off of the helipad, "I haven't warmed my baby up since the Gregorio War! Besides that, she's not in good condition. Her gears aren't oiled well!" She bit on her lip for a second as the copter went into an angle, "I should've known better than to leave her to the care of that Udon bastard."

Neji took hold of his seat as Hanabi nearly threw him out of the flying contraption, answering to her remark, "It's your fault, still! I told you we should've left it to the care of Gai! He's the same guy who takes care of my cars, anyway," He continued as Hanabi struggled with the controls, "You trusted this thing to Udon because your boyfriend said so!"

Wincing, Blue Gun Shot tried to concentrate as she told Neji sharply, "Luv had a lot of trust in this Udon guy. How could I not say yes to the offer?"

At this, Neji gagged. Hearing Hanabi use 'luv' as reference to Konohamaru was making him want to throw up. Slowly, they were ascending father from the helipad, higher into the air. Neji wasn't sure if he was supposed to be relieved that they were _finally _off of the building or fretful to let Hanabi man the helicopter. Aw, well. He left the rest to fate's ass…

"We're still a distance from the Manor," Neji mentioned as he watched Hanabi jerk directional controls to the left, "We have to get there faster. I'm not willing to deal with whatever mph this thing has," He poked her shoulder demandingly, "Anything under your hood that can get us there quicker?"

Blue Gun Shot only cackled softly, "Of course, cuz," After a quick scan of the field of controls before her, Hanabi took hold of a custom-made bar set one-and-a-half arm's length from her reach, "Hold on tighter than you would," she warned, "Konohamaru installed this and it never underwent a crash course. I hope we don't crash into a building or something drastic like that."

Neji felt himself gulp.

Once they were properly flying above the helipad, Hanabi firmed up her hold on the leather of the lever and pulled it down stridently, producing a strident creak. Instantly, whirrs and other technical murmurs popped up everywhere around them. Neji found the helicopter's exterior metal retreat and showcase a number of N2o cones.

"Holy shit!" Neji exclaimed, partly impressed and partly afraid all the more, "You got turbo installed into this thing?!"

"Turbo is such an puffed up term," Blue Gun Shot mused mockingly, cracking her knuckles in preparation, "I prefer… the term Nitro boosts," She tossed her head to the side in a slick movement before she curled her fist around the lever handle once again, "Let's get this on!" And she shoved the lever till a light lit up:

_Full throttle_

Too quickly, the helicopter shot from its previous position, zooming at a fourth of the speed of a jet. Thank God Hanabi had excellent reflexes. By far, she has dodged six skyscrapers and buildings, two birds and a kite. A whiney shriek escaped the nitro cones. Strong tremors shook them on their seats. Neji felt his crotch rise to his throat. Only Hanabi enjoyed the adrenaline. _Fuck, _he thought as he watched the blotches of color pass, _I think I'm too old for this already._

"Slow down a bit, Blue G!" He ordered, catching a glimpse of the Manor not far from where they were, "If we go too fast, we'll never be able to make a good landing! We'd die even before Black Ivory does!" He couldn't believe it. He was so tense, he was paler than he was supposed to be. Their strands surfed with the current of the wind, the propellers hardly working with the tubes doing all the work.

Hanabi didn't even look at him, so he tried to get his point straightened out further, "Oi! Blue G! Hanabi! Bitch! You have to—"

"Oh, shut up and learn, will you?" she told him coolly as she kept her eyes in front, "Today, I'm going to make helicopter history." She gripped everything in her sweating fingers, feeling the wind pulse through her skin, "And no one will even know."

Clinks and heartbeats bent into each other's arms. Sweat beaded down Neji's temples as Hanabi's fingers uncomfortably shriveled over the controls. Every time Hanabi turned to evade a building, the helicopter would swerve too much, causing the two to shift in their seats but then go back to piercing nails into their seats once Hanabi was back to racing through the urban labyrinth. Every twist, every motion was a heart stopper.

A centimeter away was the Manor. And they hadn't slowed down at the very least.

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Black Ivory entered the room, a smile cracked across her jaw. Behind her were her soldiers, both Hyuga and foreigners. All of them, held under her law and commands. "Nice sunset we have there, don't we?" she mumbled, referring to the beautiful mixture of pink, blue, orange and red in the earthly horizon outside the guest room's window. She licked her lips, smudging her rouge lipstick in the process. _Well, this has been an exceptional day._

Hinata turned to the grief-stricken, tear-shredded face that stared blankly back at her. Tenten hasn't changed since her deal with Hinata. Beside her was Lee, still comatose with swaying vital signs and a low oxygen tank. He, too, hasn't changed. At least, not for the better. His ailing body was ready to give up. So ready. At the scene, Black Ivory only smiled wider.

"Your sweetheart," Hinata said, motioning for her thugs to brace themselves at this point of time, "I spotted his chopper. The bastard nearly hit the Manor in his effort to man a helicopter with nitro packs. I'm assuming Blue Gun Shot's with him. My guards said they did a maneuver that made them veer off upwards, barely hitting the Manor." Hinata laughed at her cousin and sister's daredevil stupidity.

Tenten only squirmed mildly in her chair, trying not to attack for the sake of those endangered by her actions, "I must say, Ten," Black Ivory said, twirling a .22 pistol with her free hand while the other held a grenade, "You and Eagle Eye have some powerful vibes and passion. Hot-blooded lovers? Amusing. But pathetic to the core." She tossed the pistol into her palm and twirled the cylinder.

Sadistically, she pressed the gun's mouth against Tenten's forehead, her finger stiffly placed on the trigger, "But now, you'll have to forget about everything you two had: The infatuation, the love, the concern, the delusions, the sex…" Tenten flinched at the words. They hurt painfully, being thrown back into her head like sniper shots. Flaming sniper shots, "It's all going to end up into nothing. Not even shit. Tell me: What the hell is lower than shit?"

_You_, Tenten thought acrimoniously, knowing she'd never be able to verbalize it anyway. Hinata dropped three guns onto Tenten's lap, saying with her fangs bear, "Tomorrow, sunrise, I'll have Eagle Eye ready for his final battle. And you're going to beat him, Tenny," Tenten tore her stare at the marksman's weapons laid for her, "Pick one. Any one. You know, just to get you going."

A Beretta with Tenten's name engraved on it in gold, the .22 pistol Hinata was toying with earlier, and a lovely shotgun—one excellent shot usually means death. Tempting, as it seemed, Tenten couldn't decline anything. It didn't mean her life, but Lee's. And soon, Neji's. She hesitantly picked up the .22. Minimum damage.

"That's a water gun, in the mafia world," Hinata heckled her choice, taking everything away from her, "But it doesn't matter, really. If this were a test, you just went through the multiple-choice portion. And these guns were just the letters. A, B C, the works." Swiftly, Black Ivory snapped her fingers, calling for one of her henchmen. Tenten had something to fear for, at last.

One of the men came forward, holding out a flamethrower. Tenten's eyes only swallowed hard with her. "Don't like it?" Black Ivory murmured, sliding her finger through the cold metal, "You can go for the rocket launcher or the chainsaw. What'll it be: Pyromania or a blood lusted massacre?"

As Hinata chortled at her own will, Tenten only stared hard at the setting sun outside. She couldn't imagine what she had just gotten herself into. How could she strike that deal? But, still, what choice did she have?

The mafia world was too clever for her.

"Wait," Tenten mumbled awkwardly before Black Ivory could leave her in the guest room. As Hinata turned to face her, she asked almost accusingly, "Why at sunrise?" She didn't have any motif, but she just wanted to find out why at the beginning of a day, when the world was still groggy? Did she want to catch Neji off-guard? Was she able to calculate the time approximates?

Hinata openly responded, "He will be entering the Manor tonight, I know. I'm letting him disable me by a sixth, to let him get cockier than usual. It's amusing to see his confidence wither little by little once he enters the abyss," She threw Tenten a hypnotizing glare, "By dawn, he'd probably be meeting with the dragons of this castle. You be one of them." Eventually, she had half-expected a violent reaction from Tenten, for such a pointless dot to be added to a plan like hers. Imagine Hinata's delight when Tenten simply…

…accepted it.

"Have a good night's sleep, Tenny," Hinata said, waving her hand lazily as she departed, "Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Did Hanabi and Neji endure their insane helicopter trip? Will Tenten really be able to kill Neji? What about the battle of the two sisters, Black Ivory Hinata and Blue Gun Shot Hanabi? Will Lee survive? Is Sasuke going to make it? Is Shikamaru gone forever? Is Harumi really meant to die in a watery grave? Is Ino going to go crazy looking for Shikamaru? How are Konohamaru and Inoichi doing? Will Rose be able to help finish this mission in Sasuke's tribute? **

**Will there be a happy ending? Or is Ruki going to lap up on a tragedy?**

**Find out soon.**

**Kankuro: Hell yeah! It's nearly over! Just two chapters more to go!**

**Me: Yeah, got that right. –high five- Now, let's go celebrate with some cupcakes!**

**Kankuro: Way ahead of you!**

**Me: Oh, by the way, I have a poll that needs to be answered. Thanks to anyone who cooperates!**

**Kankuro: Chocolate or strawberry cupcakes?**

**Me: Oh! Strawberry! –grabs cupcake- By the way, guys, I want to thank you all for making this fic a success. But I'd like to give out a special thanks to these people:**

**1. Strawberry Shake**

**Me: You aren't the Awesome Psychic Woman for nothing, girl! Thank you so much for the support, the friendship and everything else in between! I might've even deleted this fic all in all if it weren't for you! –hug- You rock! And the epilogue's gonna be dedicated to you, pal! Oh, here's your present:**

**Kyouya Ootori tied with strawberry drenched ribbon! **

**Kyouya: This isn't going to be covered by your insurance.**

**Me: The Dark Side will always honor your membership!**

**2. Poisoned Scarlet**

**You gave crime fics a name that we would all be proud of! You are one of the people who has inspired me to make this fic. So, thank you for the crazy conversations we sometimes have and thank you for the never-ending support and love you give! I wish I could do the same for you. All the power to you, Panda-chan!**

**But, of course, I have a general thank you to everyone! Thank you again!**

**Kankuro: Cupcakes for everyone!**

**The cupcakes are obviously my vices… CROSS DE LENA!!!**


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